Reap My Heart Ogawa
by NaomiTheClone
Summary: AUOne day when Hisagi runs into an unknown classmate, he finds himself getting into an intersting relationship. What will happen when Michiru's parents stop the relationship from continuing? How will they deal with arranged mariages?
1. Chapter 1

Okay so here's a new fic! :D Hope you enjoy, it's about one of my favorite couples, Hisagi and Michiru. They were in my last story and I have a feeling that not many people know who Michiru is. She's a student at Ichigo's school. She's the one who asked Rukia if she liked Ichigo early in the series at lunch. Hope that clarifies and I hope you all enjoy! :) So here it is.

_Michiru's POV_

Rushing down the hall, I pulled my books closer to me hoping they wouldn't fall. If I didn't get to class soon I'd be late, again. I walked as fast as possible without getting yelled at by teachers monitoring the halls. As I turned a corner I tugged on my white dress shirt, pulling it down into place. I had gotten dressed in three minutes this morning after waking up an hour late and my hair was messily pinned back out of my face on my way to the school. While focusing on my shirt I didn't realize that I was power walking down the left side of the hall and as I fiddled with my skirt I walked right into someone.

The impact caused me to fall back on my butt. My books spilled every where and papers scattered along the hall. I didn't even look up at the person as I apologized, rushing again to beat the bell. Unfortunately as soon as I began picking up my things the bells loud ring blasted through the school. Angrily I slammed my book down and fell back on the floor. Laying on my back in the middle of the hallway, I covered my face with my hands and groaned annoyed at the situation. My books were still laying all over and I realized that the person I had bumped into hadn't left.

"Are you okay?" The person laughed at my actions and when I pulled my hands away from my eyes I saw him leaning over me with a smile on his face. I felt slightly embarrassed that I'd let my anger get the better of me and sat up.

"Yes, thanks. I'm just late, _again_." Sighing, I began picking my books and papers off the floor again. Again I realized that the guy hadn't walked away. Before I could say anything about it, he bent down and started helping me. "Oh, thank you, but you don't have to be late with me." I took some papers from his hands and continued collecting everything.

"I already am." He chuckled at my comment and picked up more papers. I felt my eyebrows knit together and I looked up at him for the first time.

"I'm really sorry." He just smiled and shook his head, obviously not caring about being late to class. My gaze shifted back to my hands as I grabbed the last few papers. _He's cute._ My thoughts were interupted when this..._person_ spoke to me.

"Hey, what's your name? You look sort of familiar." He continued to grin at me and grabbed my school bag off the ground, it had also fallen out of my arms during the collision. He handed it to me and I thanked him for his help.

"I'm Ogawa Michiru." I slightly bowed after realizing that he was an upperclassmen.

"Hey Michiru, I'm Hisagi. Shuuhei Hisagi." His hand slipped out in front of him and I quickly shook his hand after balancing my books in one arm. "So what grade are you in anyway?" At first I hesitated but answered, informing him that I was a sophomore. "Oh, I swear I thought I had a class with you before. Do you get detention a lot?" I couldn't help but laugh.

"Uh, no. Look, I'd love to stay and talk but I really have to get to class. It was really nice to meet you, Shuuhei-kun." Again I bowed and started towards my class, dreading my fate.

"Okay, bye." He grabbed my arm, stopping me. "But cut the 'kun' crap. Feel free to call me Hisagi." He grinned again and let go of my arm. "I guess I _will_ see you in detention." I gave him a confused look and he laughed quietly under his breath. "We're fifteen minutes late to first period."

I groaned again and we finally departed. Practically running to class, I made it there in no time but of course my sensei glared me down as I took my seat. Dispersing my bag on the floor, I felt my arms relax. I was finally situated when I saw a small piece of bright red paper sitting on my desk starring up at me and I felt a smile tug at my lips. Sure enough, I had detention.

_Hisagi's POV_

The day sailed by smoothly like any other day and when I had reached my first class I was greeted with a detention slip, like usual. I slept throughout that class and when the bell rang for passing period, I shot up to leave. Before I could pass the sensei's desk, she stopped me and boy did she look angry. She began yelling and lecturing me as I stretched and yawned, not really awake from my nap.

"Are you listening to me!" Her voice was giving me a headache but I nodded and tried to look aware.

"Yeah of course I am." With that she continued.

"Don't you care about your grades?" Obviously I didn't but I wouldn't tell her that, like she'd give me the chance. Again she began ranting.

"Look, you're going to be a senior in a few months Shuuhei and you need these credits to graduate. You can't just sleep through this class or any other class! Don't you want to pass?" Her voice took on a concerned note, letting me know that she had a soft spot for me.

"Of course I do, I'm just tired. Look, I'm going to be late to my next hour if I don't go but thanks for worrying about me, it means a lot." I plastered on a smile and layed on my charm. Anything to get out of here.

"...Alright. Go ahead but you better not make a habit of it okay?" Nodding I took a step towards the door and told her goodbye.

The day continued and before I knew it, my last class ended. Usually I would have gotten out of the school as soon as possible but because of my detention I slugged along slowly. Normally the thought of detention would have dragged down my mood but that Michiru girl was going to be there. A smile found its way to my lips as I walked the all to familiar route to detention.

I didn't care enough to stop at my locker and when I stepped into the assigned classroom I was one of the first ones. I handed my slip over to the sensei and glanced around the room trying to scope out Michiru. Luckily she was one of the few there and when I walked up to her I felt my smile widen. She plastered a grin on her face and turned down to her book. When I stopped at her desk she looked back up at me with some effort and cocked her eyebrow.

"May I help you?" May _I? Why is she so formal?_

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" She just shook her head and turned to read again. "Cool, let's go sit in the back." I grabbed her upper arm carefully and hoisted her out of her seat. Her eyes widened slightly but she followed me. I sat at one of the tables in the back. It was made for two students and when she sat down she slid her chair away from me slightly, putting some distance between us. Ignoring her actions, I picked up the book she was reading and cocked my eyebrow slightly.

"You can read this? It's in..." I trailed off not sure what the language of the novel was.

"French. Yeah, my parents made me take lessons when I was four until I was thirteen. My mother's family are French." She shrugged and glanced down at the book in my hand.

"Wow. So you can speak it fluently?" She nodded and her eyes stayed on the book. I pulled the novel closer to my face and began looking at the finer details of the cover. It all seemed like mumbo-jumbo to me so I asked her what it was called.

"It's called Lettres d'une Péruvienne, it translates to Letters from a Peruvian Woman." She studied the cover, her eyes sweeping over the title. My smile widened as I watched her examine the book.

"What's it about?" She looked up at me and smiled at my interest.

"It's about-" An unfamiliar voice cut her off.

"Michiru? What are you doing here?" A short skinny girl walked up to the table and smiled down at Michiru. She had dark hair that looked like the color was similar to mine, dark, almost black. She seemed to be no taller than four foot two. _And I thought Michiru was short._ This girl flipped some of her hair behind her shoulder in a boyish manor, like she didn't care where it'd land.

"Hey Rukia. I was...really late to first hour this morning so..." Michiru's voice trailed off and this Rukia girl smiled.

"That's no surprise. I just never thought they'd give _you_ detention." The girl laughed and rested her hands on the table, leaning toward us.

"What about you? Why are you here?" This question caused Rukia to chuckle quietly.

"I sort of got into a fight."

"Are you serious?" As they discussed the issue I looked the girl over. She was scrawny looking, I couldn't imagine her in a fight. She seemed nice enough too but here she was explaining the altercation.

"I was talking to Ichigo in second hour before class started and Orihime came up to us. She interupted me and started saying something to Ichigo while I was in the middle of a sentence. So naturally I cut her off and told her she was being rude. I was being as nice as possible, I swear! She gets all pissed and before I knew it she shoved me! I was about to punch her in the face but Ichigo grabbed hold of my arm. So I was cooling down, yada yada, and then Tatsuki came up to us."

"Wait so you got in a fight with Tatsuki? You guys are really good friends, what was it about?" Michiru asked, she was resting on her elbows and leaning closer, intrigued by the conversation.

"She was yelling at me about being rude to Orihime, apparently she told Tatsuki that I'd cussed her out or something, I don't know. So I started screaming at Tatsuki and told her to mind her business, the next thing I know she was swinging at me. Luckily I realized she was doing it and pulled away before she could hit my face but she did get a good punch to my neck. Anyway, I swung back, I was _not_ about to let her get away with that. So, I hit her in the face a few times and now I'm here. She got assigned to a different room though and we told the principle that it wasn't necessary to suspend us, we're not mad at each other." She shrugged it off and was finally silent.

"Damn." Rukia looked over at me and smiled.

"What?" Her eyebrows knit together.

"You. You don't seem like the type. You don't look like a scrapper." I grinned at her, she was pretty amusing. She laughed loudly at my words, her laughter echoing through the room. It was cute and childish.

"Well I am." She turned back to Michiru and began speaking again. Before I could focus in on the conversation, I noticed one of my friends walk in the door, Renji. He spotted me and came over to the table quickly.

"Hey Renji." I lazily raised a hand to him in an attempt at a greeting. He nodded, giving me just as weak a greeting in return.

"Hey. Who the hell are they?" He gestured towards the two girls to my right. I opened my mouth to introduce them but I noticed Renji's eyes sliding up and down Rukia's backside. Typical Renji.

"Well, the girl you're checking out is Rukia." I stated loud enough to get her attention. "And the other is Michiru." Rukia turned to Renji and glared up at him, sizing him up. Renji took a step back and clearly felt intimidated by her stance. Still he wouldn't be phased and gave her a grin.

"Hey, Rukia." Still she glared and put her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me, _whoever_ you are, I'm not an object to look at. Look at me like that again and you'll be sorry." I had to force myself not to laugh. Renji was obviously amused and wasn't afraid to hide it, maybe he would have if he heard about that fight she was in.

"I'm just appreciating the view, calm down little girl." He reached down and gave her face a friendly pat. Before I had the chance to blink, Rukia had a tight hold on Renji's wrist and twisted it in an unnatural way. I noticed Renji dip his knees slightly as if he thought that would stop the pain.

"Don't you _ever _call me a little girl." Her voice took on a dark tone and she was about to continue when Michiru reached out and grabbed Rukia's arm.

"Rukia, calm down." Her words were soft and it was obvious she wasn't into confrintation. Rukia's glare deepened and she let go of Renji's wrist before stepping back. After a moment she calmed down, taking deep breaths.

"Look, I don't need an enemy, so I'm sorry but don't look at me like that ever again." Her voice was stern but she was being kind and pretty understanding compared to other girls who didn't appreciate Renji's "friendly" behavior. Renji nodded and his smile grew warm.

"Alright, my bad." He reached down again and tapped Rukia on the chin. "It's nice to meet you, Rukia." He slightly raised his eyebrows and turned his attention to Michiru. "Hi...uh...Michiru, right?"

"Yes, hello." She plastered on a pleasant smile and bowed her head slightly. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." I could tell he was resisting the urge to check out Michiru, after the encounter with Rukia, I think anyone with a brain would do the same. Still, I didn't like the way he looked at her in particular, she was too inocent for that. Finally he turned back to me and his smile faltered slightly. "How'd you meet these two?"

"I ran into Michiru in the hall this morning and Rukia's a friend of hers. She came up a few minutes ago." He just nodded and took a seat in front of the table. He reached over and pulled a seat out for Rukia, giving her a teasing smile. She surprisingly rolled her eyes and had an amused look on her face.

We all continued to talk until the sensei came to the front of the room. Unfortunately the assigned teacher was particularly strict so we couldn't talk at all for the next hour and a half. At first I starred off, bored and tired, but after a while I found myself glancing at Michiru. After turning my head towards her a few times, I saw her eyes flicker as she noticed me. She turned to me and gave me a small smile.

"Yes?" She whispered. As soon as the single word left her mouth we got a cold "sh" from the sensei. When the teacher turned away I held up a finger and picked up Michiru's notebook. I ripped out a piece of paper and got a glare from the sensei. After giving her an inocent smile she rolled her eyes and turned away. I began writing on the sheet in my neat handwriting.

Hey. Good book?

After writing, I slid the paper to Michiru and saw her smile before turning away from her book. She picked up the pencil I pushed next to her hand and read the scrawled out words. The next thing I knew, her hand began moving and then she slid the paper back.

It was until you interupted me. :)

Again I took the paper and read it. Her writing was plain and round, mine was sadly more girly than her own. I felt a smile creep up and when I glance up, I saw the sensei glaring me down and for a moment I thought she'd call me out. Thankfully she just held an angry finger to her lips and turned back to her work. Quickly I wrote a response and gave Michiru the paper without gaining the teacher's attention again.

I think we got caught. I'd really like to hear about that book, why don't you call me and that way we wont have any interuptions. My number is 463-8135. I look forward to your call. :]

I watched her face as she read the last of the note and saw her eyes slightly widen. She glanced over at me and when I raised my eyebrows questioningly, she gave me an amused smile and shrugged. I smirked back and nodded, suggesting she go ahead and give me a call. Her smile widened and she left out a quiet laugh. I glanced at the front of the room to make sure the sensei didn't notice and when I turned away without any sign of the teacher's attention, I saw Rukia and Renji passing a note of their own. I couldn't help my eyes from rolling. That was Renji.

After detention was over we all gathered out stuff and stood. Renji and Rukia waited for Michiru and myself and we all headed towards the door together. As I looked at the exit, I noticed this tall orange hair kid leaning agains the wall by the lightswitch. He smiled at Rukia and I couldn't help but ask her.

"Who the hell is that?"

"That's Ichigo." She smiled back at him warmly. That's all she said before approaching him. The first thing they did was reach for each others hands and it was obvious they were together. I turned to see Renji's reaction but his face was neutral. When I looked back to the couple Rukia was making introductions.

"That's Hisagi and Renji." She gestured to us and Ichigo nodded. He didn't seem very friendly but then again, I wouldn't want my girlfriend hanging out with a couple of guys, especially not Renji.

"Hey." Ichigo stated evenly.

"Well, we've gotta go. Are you okay to walk home alone Michiru?" I looked down to my left and saw Michiru nod.

"Yes, thanks. See you, bye Ichigo." She smiled and got a grin in return. Ichigo tugged on Rukia's hand and they headed out of the room. As soon as they were gone, I turned back to Renji.

"You okay? Did she tell you she had a boyfriend?" Renji nodded and turned back to me, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, of course she does." He rolled his eyes. "The first time I meet someone who's not a spoiled bitch she's taken. We actually have a lot in common." He shrugged and continued. "Oh well, doesn't mean I wont try." His smile widened. I shook my head at his remark.

"What ever happened to Mina?" I asked refering to his most recent ex-girlfriend. He just shrugged and shook his head, dismissing the topic. I turned to Michiru and gave her a wide grin. "So, I'll see you tomorrow." She nodded and waved.

"Bye."

"Wait, can I expect a phone call?" She laughed again and shrugged.

"Maybe, I don't know." We said good bye and Renji and I walked towards our lockers. Renji started talking about something he had discussed with Rukia while my mind slipped away. I couldn't help but smile when thinking of her last answer to my question. I wasn't sure whether or not to expect a call. _This is going to be interesting._

:) So here's the first chapter of my new story. Hope you all like it, I'm rather excited about this one! :D Thank to **DetroitBleachWings** who provided a name for my story! :P


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! :D I'm back. I'm really excited about this story so I'm back to start chapter two! :) Here it is!

_Michiru's POV_

When I got home from detention, I got a good lecture from my mother. She began ranting as soon as I walked in the door. I tried to ignore her but she continued to get louder and louder. At first I phased in and out but after a few minutes, I couldn't focus on more than three words and she noticed.

"Are you listening to me!" My mother took a step closer to me and I instinctively took one back.

"Yes, sorry." My voice was quiet but I nodded in an effort to get her to back off.

"You have _got _to get your act together Michiru! You can't just decide to when and where you're going to show up! School is important!" Nodding again, I held back a sigh. "Do you have something to say?" Her voice was cold and harsh.

"Mom...I was just late." My eyes were casted downwards and I forced myself not to look straight at her. Again she took a step closer to me and anchored her hands to her hips.

"Are you talking back to me?" She bent down closer to me and I could smell alcohol on her breath. _She's drinking again? _My mother was an alcoholic in denial, she drank until the pain of her failing marriage went away. She always had until she'd recently joined a rehab group but apparently she fell back on old habits.

"N-no. You're right, I'm sorry. I wont be late anymore, I promise. Really, Mom, I'm sorry." I ventured a glance up at her and I noticed that she was starting to calm down. She continued to glare at me and before I could pull back, she roughly grabbed my upper arm and dragged me to the dinning room. She shoved me down in a chair and threw my bag on the table sitting in the middle of the room.

"Do your homework and don't get up until you're finished!" With that she stormed out and headed towards her home office.

I sat at the table for an hour and a half until I finished all my work. There was an assignment from every class and I also had to start a book report that was due in a few days. As I was riffling through my papers, sticking everything neatly back in my bag, when I spotted a crumpled piece of notebook paper with familiar writing on it. I pulled out the sheet and saw Hisagi's phone number scrawled in the middle of the page. A smile spread on my face and I mentally debated. _Should I call him? I mean I _did_ just meet him._ After a few minutes, I decided to go ahead and give him a call.

I grabbed my belongings and headed upstairs after informing my mother that I had finished my school work. Quickly, I ascended the stairs and briskly walked into my room. I hung my bag up on a hook nailed to the wall. After grabbing my cell phone, I sat on my bed and began dialing the number, holding the sheet of paper in my left hand. The phone rang a few times and I felt my stomach twist slightly as my nerves got to me. Finally after the fifth ring, someone picked up the phone.

"Hello?" A woman's voice answered and for a moment I was scared he'd given me a fake number just to screw with me.

"Um...hello? Is this the Shuuhei residence?" My voice was low and it sounded awkward. I heard the woman chuckle before answering.

"No, this is Hisagi's cell phone. I'm Kana, Hisagi's mother."

"Oh, hello. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Shuuhei." My head bowed slightly out of habit even though the woman couldn't see me.

"Please call me Kana. Are you a friend of Hisagi's?" Her voice was bright and energetic.

"Uh, well, I met him today in school?" I stated, unsure of my answer. "He told me to...give him a call..." I heard the woman chuckle and sigh.

"Sounds like my boy. Well I'm sorry Sweety but Hisagi's taking a nap. He got home and crashed. Would you like to leave a message?" Her words surprised me._ A nap?_

"Oh, no thank you. I'll just speak to him tomorrow but thank you. I'm sorry for disturbing you, goodbye." I was prepared to hang when she spoke again.

"Don't worry about it, you weren't disturbing anything. Man, you're pretty polite. Can I ask you a favor?"

"I suppose, yes." I hesitantly agreed, wondering what she'd ask of me.

"If you start hanging out with my son, try to rub off on him, he could learn a lot about manners." Her voice held a teasing tone and I felt a smile creep up on my face.

"Oh, alright."

"Thanks, well I'll let him know you called. Do you want him to call you back when he gets up?"

"If he'd like to, he can. Do you need to take down my phone number?" My mind immediately brought me the memorized digits and I was prepared to recite them before she answered.

"No it's in the phone. I'll let him know...uh...what's your name Sweety?"

"Oh, my apologies, I'm Ogawa Michiru."

"It was nice speaking with you, maybe one day I can meet you." Her voice took on a polite tone and I realized she was saying her goodbyes.

"Maybe. Goodbye, Mrs. Shu-" She cut me off.

"Kana."

"Right, sorry. Goodbye, Kana."

"Bye Sweety." I hung up and thought about the conversation I had just had. Hisagi didn't stay up to see if I'd called. What did that mean? He did seem sort of tired in detention today, maybe he just couldn't stay awake. It didn't matter, I'd just met him, I couldn't expect anything from him.

I tried to push my thoughts of Hisagi away for the rest of the afternoon, epically failing, but pushed through the rest of the day and made it to bed that night without another encounter with my mother or father. After taking a quick shower, I curled up in bed with the window open spilling in the night's cool air. The only light visible was shining down from the moon and in no time I was asleep, comfortably unconscious.

_Hisagi's POV_

The next at school I made it there surprisingly early. The first thing I thought about was finding Michiru and apologizing for not calling back the night before, but what chance did I have of finding her at this time? Didn't she say she was late often? I remember her saying something remotely close to that. Even though I had no chance of discovering her location, I headed towards sophomore hall and began my useless search.

I tried to figure out where her locker might be and tried to find the beginning of the alphabet. Once I recognized a kid with a last name starting with an A, I continued down the hall in search of the O's. There weren't a lot of kids in the way and immediately I saw the tiny girl knelt down digging in the bottom of her locker. I was utterly shocked that she was there, I thought she was a belated person?

"Hey Michiru." A smile found it's way on my face as soon as she turned to me. She smiled slightly also and stood, making it a little easier for her to see my face.

"Hello, Hisagi. How are you?" She continued to fiddle with her belongings nervously.

"I'm good, thanks. Hey I wanted to apologize about yesterday. I didn't get the chance to call you back because I got up too late. My mom told me that it's inappropriate to call a lady after seven." My eyes rolled back in an annoyed manner but my grin gave away my amusement. Michiru laughed at my words and shook her head.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." She bent over to grab another book and after a minute of collecting some other random objects, she shut her locker. For a moment we just stood there, she obviously didn't know what to do next.

"Do you want to go get some breakfast before school starts?" The schools cafeteria was open in the mornings and I usually grabbed something to eat when I had the time.

"Oh, sure..." With that I nodded and started for the cafeteria. Michiru fell into step with me and pulled a her books closer. I noticed her struggle with the many books she was carrying so I reached over and took them from her. I wasn't carrying any at all.

"Thank you." She smiled at me before turning her head away. She was obviously not very comfortable being around me. I brushed off her thanks and continued down the hall. Once we reached the hallway containing the lunchroom, we ran into Rukia and her boyfriend, Ichi-something.

"Hey guys." Rukia smiled up at me and gave Michiru a funny look, probably wondering what she was doing with me again. "Where are you guys going?"

"Breakfast." I answered her question and glanced over to Ichigo, his name had come back to me, seeing that he looked as unfriendly as yesterday. Rukia didn't seem to notice me sizing up her "man" and said something about coming with us. We all continued to walk down the hall and before we could reach the cafeteria, Renji approached us.

"Hey Hisagi, Michiru." He nodded and then turned his gaze downwards toward Rukia and grinned at her. "Hey Rukia." His hand reached out and he placed a finger under her chin, tipping her head up. "How are you?" She pushed his hand away and rolled her eyes.

"Don't touch me." A small smile was on her face but Ichigo looked pissed. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her a step back away from Renji. Ichigo glared at him and held his gaze but didn't say anything.

"Ichigo, calm down." Rukia pulled her arm away and headed for the lunchroom by herself. "I'm going to get breakfast," she said over her shoulder with annoyed tone in her words. Ichigo walked around Renji and followed her and well all did the same. I heard Renji scoff and sigh. I turned to him and cocked my eyebrow.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. That guys too touchy." He rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Well, you did just sort of hit on his girlfriend, Renji." I couldn't help but smile at him.

"That was nothing, I was just greeting her. If he thinks I'm going to back off, he's wrong." I responded with only a sigh and continued towards breakfast. We all went through the line and grabbed a breakfast, then we found an empty table and sat down near a corner. At first we sat in silence as everyone started eating but of course Renji opened his mouth.

He was sitting across from Rukia and after no more than a minute of silence he looked up and began flirting with her _again._He had his elbows propped up on the table and leaned closer to her. He smiled widely before speaking and I could already see a vain popping out of Ichigo's forehead.

"So, Rukia, did you dream about me last night?" His face took on an amused expression.

"Oh dear God." Rukia rolled her eyes again and shook her head. "No. Could you get any more obnoxious?" She looked slightly amused too, it was obvious she found Renji extremely funny. Ichigo, not so much. Again he remained silent, his anger and what I suspected as hatred building up inside him.

Renji shrugged off her question and continued the conversation. "So," he starte as he reached over and grabbed her hand, "are you free this Friday?" He raised his eyebrows playfully, already knowing her answer.

"What? No, I'm not." She took on a more serious expression and pulled her hand away.

"Saturday?" I had to hold back a laugh, Renji had to be the dumbest person ever. Ichigo's jaws clenched together and for a minute I was positive he'd jump across the table and beat Renji to a bloody pulp.

"_No_, Renji. I'm never going to be "free" to hang out with you." Her voice was stern now.

"What? Are you declining my friendship?" He was still smiling, clearly happy with himself. Rukia opened her mouth to answer but Ichigo spoke before she had the chance.

"**Yes**." His voice was cold and angry. Finally Renji's grin faltered and he glared back at Ichigo.

"Who the hell asked you? I don't believe I was talking to you."

"I don't give a crap, leave Rukia alone!" He was yelling through his teeth and he stood from his seat, looking down at Renji. Rukia was trying to calm them down but they both ignored her. Renji pushed himself out of his chair.

"I'd like to see you try and stop me." I realized they were about to throw punches and Rukia was doing nothing, so I stood and grabbed Renji's arm.

"You guys calm down, don't do anything stupid." Still they ignored our efforts.

"No, you really wouldn't." Ichigo responded to Renji's earlier threat. With that Renji walked over to the other side of the table and got in Ichigo's face.

"I think I do." His voice was gruff and he stood a good three or four inches over Ichigo. I saw the look in Ichigo's eyes flare with his hate for Renji. Without any warning he shoved Renji away putting a fair amount of distance between. Renji raised his fist to throw a punch but before he could move Rukia threw herself in front of Ichigo and pushed Renji back just as Ichigo had. She was surprisingly strong and was able to stop him.

"Knock it off! Both of you stop!" She was glaring now and her gaze continued to shift between her boyfriend and the giant in front of her. "If either of you punch the other, I'll kick both your asses!" A large amount of people were watching and more turned towards Rukia's loud bluff.

Ichigo shook his head and walked off with his fists clenched. Rukia hesitated and looked up at Renji, her eyes softening a little. "Look, I know you were just messing around but-"

"No I wasn't." He interrupted, his tone serious. She sighed at him and shook her head.

"Well, I wasn't kidding, I can't hang out with you." Her tone was even but I could tell didn't want to tell him that. She wanted to be his friend.

"So what are you saying? We can't be friends because your boyfriend doesn't approve?" His words were full of hate, he did not like Ichigo.

"We could if you realized that that's all its ever going to be, a friendship. I really like you Renji, I'd love to hang out with you but you're...obviously into me." Renji smiled again as she spoke and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course I am, but if it makes you happy, I know you're really into that guy. So, let's hang out sometime, as friends. 'Kay?" After a moment of hesitation, she nodded and gave him a smirk.

"Sure, as soon as Ichigo has this out of his system, we'll hang out." She waved to me and Michiru, gave Renji a thumbs up and left to find Ichigo. Renji looked down at me and raised his eyebrows.

"Are you going to give it up?" He just shook his head at my question, laughed and dismissed himself, leaving me and Michiru alone. I glanced over at her and asked if she was okay.

"Yes, thank you...That was...interesting." She gave me a weak smile and took a bite of her food. I nodded in agreement and rested an elbow on the table.

"I'm sorry if Renji's screwing with your friends' relationship. He's just...stubborn and knows what he likes when he sees it."

"It's fine, it's not your fault." Again I nodded and brushed off the conversation, decided to start a chat of our own.

"So, did you have an interesting talk with my mother yesterday?" She looked up at me and grinned, showing me her straight pearly teeth. Her head bobbed in a nod.

"She's very friendly."

"What'd you talk about? My phone says your call lasted for nearly five minutes."

"Well, she told me that you were asleep, told me she'd tell you I called, told me her name, and then asked me to rub some of my polite-ness off on you." She continued to smile and I could tell she was growing more comfortable around me. I couldn't help but laugh at their conversation.

"Oh wow. That's...great. Sounds like my mother." She pointed her finger at me after I spoke.

"She said that too, she said 'sounds like my son'."

"Why?"

"Because I told her you asked me to call you." My smile widened.

"Oh."

"She seems a lot like you." I felt my eyebrows furrow and noticed Michiru's eyes shift towards the improper tatoo resting on my left side of my face. I ignored it and pushed that conversation away for another time.

"How?"

"The way she speaks, it reminds me of how you talk and she's not very formal. It's not a bad thing or anything, but both of you always seem to start a relationship on a first name bases. It makes you two seem really friendly." Her eyes were back on mine, her attention refocused on our conversation.

"We are really friendly." She laughed and pointed her index finger at me again.

"Or so you seem." I chuckled at her actions and opened my mouth to say something but the five minute bell interrupted me, warning every student that they had approximately five minutes to get to class. Michiru and I both stood, grabbing our stuff. Before she could pick up the stack of books sitting between us, I gathered them up in my arms. She smiled and picked up our trash. We headed towards the trashcans together, walking closer than we had earlier in the morning.

"I hope I don't sound too much like Renji but would you be interested in hanging out sometime this weekend?" She didn't look up at me right away but I noticed the surprise reflect from her eyes. She finally tilted her head back and her eyes met mine. Her mouth turned up in a smile before she answered.

"Sure, sounds great." My shock was written all over my face. _That was...easy._She laughed at my reaction and we continued walking together towards first hour until we had to depart. I dropped her books off in her room and we got some weird looks from some of her classmates. She thanked me and with that I started to my class. Luckily I wasn't late and I saw sensei give me a smile, proud I'd "listened" to her advice. If she thought I was paying attention to her, she was crazy. I was anticipating the weekend more that I thought I would. I returned her gesture and pulled out my book, trying to get through the week, as quick as I possibly could.

Okay here's chapter two! another long one! ;) Please review, I want to know what you all think so far! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Hi! :D I'm back again! Chapter three on it's way.

**Note:** I was just recently told that Hisagi's first name isn't even Hisagi, it's his last name. You have no idea how dumb that makes me feel. :) I'm very sorry to everyone who's read but I've always called him Hisagi and will continue to call him that, though I'll make sure not to call him Mr. Shuuhei or anything to that effect. Again I'm sorry, I hope you all know that I'm not as stupid as I seem. Haha. And please keep reading, I'd really appreciate it! :)

_Michiru's POV_

The week continued to fly by and Thursday morning was here before I knew it. I got up early that morning, giving myself some extra time to get ready at a slow pace but giving myself enough time to get to school on time, if not early. By the time I entered the school I had twenty minutes before my first class started. I rummaged through my locker for a few minutes and gathered all the matierals needed for the first half of the day. As I began stacking my books on the ground next to me, I sensed someone approach me and figured it was Hisagi. When I glanced up, I found who I was excpecting and gave him a smile.

"Good morning." He returned my gesture and took my books out of my arms, as he's been doing all week. After thanking him I grabbed my bag off the floor and greeted him.

"Morning, how are you?"

"Good, thanks." He adjusted my books and held them in one arm. "I wanted to ask, what time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?" We had decided that Friday worked best for both of us.

"My mother told me that she wanted you over at six-thirty..." He gave me a curious glance and laughed quietly.

"You're mother? Should I be scared?" My only response was a nod causing him to laugh again. "She can't be _that_ scarey."

"I'm serious, my mother's...not very friendly..." My voice was soft and I think he noticed. His expression shifted into a softer one, he looked concerned.

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure it'll be fine. I am quite charming, maybe I'll win her over." A smile found it's way to his face again and his hand found it's way to my back, giving me an encouraging pat. I couldn't hide the grin creeping up on me and nodded.

"Well, she wants you there at six-thirty so they can meet you."

"They, so you're dad too? Is he scarey too?" His face took on a teasing expression but my only response was a shrug. Again his face fell and he cocked an eyebrow.

"You don't know?"

"No, I don't know him very well." My voice-level was low and I kept my gaze distant.

"Does he live with you?" Hisagi's question was asked cautiously and it was obvious he didn't want to start a conversation I might not be ready for.

"Yeah, he's just always busy, I really don't see him very often." With that the conversation shifted to simpler things.

The morning went by quickly, we headed off to breakfast and met up with the other three. As soon as we sat at the table Renji started with Rukia, like usual and caused a small, surprisingly calm, argument. After that we fell into a comfortable conversation that everyone was able to contribute to. As the bell rang we all stood and headed out towards our classes. Everyone dispersed to seperate rooms and I told myself that there was only one more day until my date with Hisagi. With that thought, I pushed through the rest of the day.

Friday after school I got home and started working on my homework right away. I wanted to get it over with and it did a great job distracting me. If it weren't for my work, I would have gone crazy. I finished around five-thirty which gave me plenty of time to get ready.

After taking a quick shower, I grabbed my clothes out of my closet. Hisagi told me that we'd be seeing a movie and having dinner at his house with his mother, so I decided to dress casually. I ended up dressed in a black sundress with a red dressy cardagin. Around my waist was a delicately placed red silky belt just long enough to tie neatly in the back. On my feet I donned red heels, giving me some height. My hair was left curly from my shower and I decided not to take the time to straighten it again. My bangs were still pinned back so they couldn't fall in my face but with some mousse the rest of my hair was under control. I hoped my clothes weren't too much, I felt a little dressed up to be going to the movies but I didn't want to wear jeans on a first date. Hopefully Hisagi would like what I was wearing, I mean he'd only ever seen me in my school uniform before today. I reassured myself that it was fine and continued to get ready.

Sitting on my bed, I grabbed the book I was currently reading, deciding to distract myself for the next ten minutes. As I lost myself in the plot of the story, time began slipping by at an incredible speed and before I knew it, the doorbell rang. I glanced at my clock and noticed that it was six-thirty, exactly and smiled. I knew my parents would appreciate that, even if they hated him. Without another thought I headed out the door and started down the stairs.

_Hisagi's POV_

While driving down the road that held Michiru's home, I was starting to wonder just how rich her family was. She had told me that she came from a priveliged family but that seemed like an understatement. Every house on Michiru's street was nothing short of a mansions. When I drove through her houses entry gate, I immediately felt out of place. A large sign placed after the gate let me know that I was in the right place. The sign said _Ogawa's Residence_ and was attached to one of the many trees surrounding the path to the home.

Once I spotted the house, I was stunned. It was **huge. **It definately fell into the whole mansion category. There was a circular row of trees surrounding the yard, shutting the residents out from the rest of the world. The house itself was probably five times larger than mine. These people were loaded. It was nerve wracking and I felt my confidence getting lower by the second, which wasn't normal for me.

I approached the door and my stomach twisted, my nerves getting the better of me. Without hesitation I quickly pushed the button and heard the doorbell ring throughout the house. I stood at the door for no longer than thirty seconds before it opened. A woman wearing a gray business suit greeted me with a smile and I felt a little less nervous.

"Hello, you must be Hisagi. Michiru should be down any minute, please come in." She stepped aside and I walked into the room, taking in the interior of the home. My gaze turned back to the women and I gave her a polite grin.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Ogawa." At first I thought about holding my hand out but ended up bowing instead. Her laugh caught me by surprise and I felt my eyebrows knit together.

"Dear, I'm not Michiru's mother. I'm Mrs. Ogawa's personal assistant. I'm sorry, I should've told you. You'll know when you meet her mother, they resemble each other a lot." She smiled warmly at me and I felt my stomach drop. My nerves came back and I was scared to meet her actual mom. Before I could say anything else, I heard soft clicking that sounded like shoes coming from my right and turned anxiously, worried that it was the dreaded Mrs. Ogawa. Luckily it was jut Michiru.

At first all I did was stare and take in her presence, which seemed a lot taller than usual. She was wearing this cute little dress that was surprisingly black, a color I never thought I'd see on her, and a red sweater over it. Her shoes and belt matched the cardagin and she held a small hand bag, I think they're called clutches, that was the same color as her dress. Her hair was wavey, giving it less length but her bangs were still pulled back out of her face. She looked..._awesome. _Well, that was the mild way of putting it, the more spicey words were streaming through my head.

Michiru approached us followed by the echo of her shoes clicking against the floor. I looked down at the ground and saw small heels on her feet, realizing why she looked so much taller. She gave me a smile and I returned the gesture.

"So I see you've met Mei-mei." She took another step closer to us. "Thank you for getting the door." The older woman looked at Michiru with a loving expression, as if she really were her mother.

"No problem, Dear. You look very pretty, Michiru. I love what you've done with your hair."

"Oh, thank you." Her hand absently went to her hair.

"So, your parents are waiting in the livingroom. Let's not keep them waiting much longer." She turned and led us to a large decorative room. There were two couches that seemed to have matching color schemes that faced each other. On one was a woman who indeed looked a lot like Michiru. She didn't seem much taller and the only difference in them that I could detect was the slightest hint of aging in her face. On the other was a man who seemed a little old to be married to the woman sitting across from him. His hair was mostly dark brown but had some gray area's near his hairline. They were both dressed professionally and looked up when they heard us all enter. Both had hard and cold expressions on their faces that didn't seem to soften in the slightest bit after seeing their daughter, but it didn't seem to bother Michiru. She grabbed my arm, pulled my closer to the couch and introduced me.

"Mother, Father, this is Shuuhei Hisagi. Hisagi, this is my mother, Ogawa Sayuri and this is my father, Ogawa Fujita." As she spoke I bowed humbly to each of them and greeted them appropriately. They continued to stare at us coldly before her mother finally spoke.

"So, boy, what makes you think you're good enough to court our daugther?" Her question was abrupt and unexpected. My eyes grew wide with shock of how blunt she was being. Thankfully Michiru interjected before I could open my mouth.

"Mother, please, don't." I glanced down at her to see her face calm if not a little scared even though her tone held hidden anger.

"I'm allowed to speak to him. You shut up and let him speak." The rude manor surprised me and it sort of pissed me off to hear her yell at Michiru for nothing. "You have one chance with her, boy. If you mess up, that's that. And if I don't find you suitable for my daughter, I will end your little relationship." Now she was glaring at me and I was sure she already hated me.

"Uh...okay."

"Is that all you have to say to me, boy?"

"Mother, stop." Michiru's words were more confident than the last but obviously her mother wouldn't allow that kind of confidence. Sayuri stood and stomped over to her daughter, standing in front of her intimidatingly.

"Don't you talk back to me! I'm allowed to speak in my own home!" As soon as she approached us, I could smell the alcohol on her and had to force myself from taking a step away from the stench.

"You promised me you wouldn't drink until we left..." Her words were quiet and not meant for me to hear.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Without giving Michiru the chance to answer, Mrs. Ogawa raised her hand as if she were going to smack her daughter. I didn't even process what I was doing before I stepped in between them blocking Sayuri from touching Michiru. I didn't speak or explain my actions, I just stood there looking down at Michiru's mother with an expression of disappointment and anger.

Sayuri's expression grew colder, though I didn't think that was possible, and opened her mouth to speak. Before any words could escape her husband spoke up. "Shut up Sayuri, you look like an idiot." His words were just as cold as his wife's expression. Those were all the words needed to have Mrs. Ogawa backing down and like before Fujita was back to silently observing.

The situation was so strange to me, so foreign. I only had my mom so I never experienced parental fighting but surely this wasn't it. She just...did what he told her to do while drunk, mind you. She had to be used to this sort of thing. I wasn't sure how to react so without another thought I took a step back and spoke to them both.

"Uh...it was really nice to meet you, thank you for letting your daughter go out with my tonight." I tried to sound as polite as possible but it was difficult, I wasn't used to any of this.

With that Mei-Mei led us back to the front door and gave us the guidelines of our date. "So, I suspect you two have a respectable date planned, nothing wild. Oh, and please be back around eleven but no later than midnight. And be careful, I hope you two have a great time." She hugged Michiru and gave me a friendly pat on the back. "Bye."

After our goodbyes, I opened the door and held it open for Michiru. We headed towards my car and officially started our first date. I was more nervous than I expected to be but I was excited. _Please don't make an idiot of yourself, Hisagi, _I thought as I reached out and opened the car door for Michiru. My nerves eased up slightly after she gave me a small smile and thanked me. _Everything's going to be alright, we'll have a great time._

Okay here's chapter three! :D It was getting sort of long so the next chapter is their actual date! :D Please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, I'm back again. So, I've noticed that this story isn't very popular but that's okay, I appreciate those of you who are keeping up with it! :) It's very encouraging, thanks to all. :D

_Michiru's POV_

After the ordeal with my mother, I wanted to hide back in my room and call the whole date off. I didn't want Hisagi to see me cry and I was pretty sure if I followed him out that door, I wouldn't be able to hold in my tears. My face stayed nuetral but once we reached his car I felt my resolve weaken. He pulled open the door for me and I quickly made my mind to go on with the date. I slid into my seat and turned to look out the window. Hisagi followed suit and started the car. We sat in silence for a few moments and I took in the details of the vehicle.

The exterior looked worn and old but the interior was well kept. It wasn't the newest model but it was clean and had a pleasant odor sifting through the air vents, thanks to the attachable air freshener. I continued to study the car but still felt the urge to cry or scream, anything to get some of this...anger out of my system. In my peripheral vision I saw Hisagi's head turn towards me.

"Hey, are you okay?" His voice was concerned and surprisingly comforting. He reached over and layed one of his hands on my shoulder. I refused to look at him, I knew I'd give in and start sobbing. My head nodded as a response but I continued to look out the window. I finally felt myself give up and tears were running down my face. Hisagi couldn't really see me but I had a feeling that he could already tell what I was doing. He pulled the car to a stop on the side of the road, which surprised me.

"Look, I'm sorry that happened. That...wasn't right."

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault." My voice was shaky and my eyes still stared blankly out the window. Still he pushed, lightly shaking my shoulder trying to get me to meet his eyes.

"Michiru, don't be...embarrassed or ashamed. I don't care about what happened with your mother. I just want to make sure you're okay." His words meant a lot to me, I was glad my mother's drunken outrage didn't change his view of me. Finally I turned to meet his gaze, I had stopped crying but my face was still misty. "Are you going to be okay?" I couldn't get over how worried he seemed to be.

"Yes, thanks you." I wiped away any stray tears and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm fine."

"Don't. You have every right to be upset." Again we were silent and after a few minutes he spoke again. "Do you still want to...go?" This time I didn't hesitate or take the time to think it over, I already knew what I wanted to do.

"Yes, of course. Let's just...forget about my mother." He smiled at my words and continued towards the theatre.

When we reached our destination, Hisagi got out and walked around the car, I assumed to open my door but I beat him to it and he settled for carefully grabbing my hand and helping me out. I thanked him and as we walked towards the doors, he kept his hold on my hand. As we approached the ticket booth Hisagi asked me what kind of movie I wanted to see.

"I don't care...as long as it's not a horror movie." He laughed and squeezed my hand.

"Why? Do you get scared that easily?"

"Yes, extremely easily." We took a few steps forward after another person was given their tickets.

"Oh come on, it's not like any of them are ever scary." He continued bantering me and teasingly elbowed me.

"Sure, we can see a scary movie, if you really want to check my bedroom every night for the next three weeks." I answered, smiling at him.

"That doesn't sound so horrible." His eyebrows rose slightly and he laughed quietly. I just rolled my eyes and chuckled under my breath.

"Shut up, _Renji_." Hisagi let out a loud cackle and tugged on my hand until we were at the booth. We settled on a comedy, bought our tickets and headed towards the theatre. Though I wanted to see a romance, I felt like crying twice on the first date would be pushing it.

We chose a seat in the middle of the room and stared at the screen, waiting for the film to start. At first there was an uncomfortable silence that settled over us but soon enough Hisagi started speaking.

"Can I ask you a question? I mean, it might be a little...personal." I wasn't sure I wanted to get into a personal conversation, I didn't want to ruin our first date with my complaints.

"Sure..."

"Does...does that happen a lot?" His question didn't really catch me off guard but he was handling it well. "Does she hit you, Michiru?" Now, _that_ caught me off guard. I thought he was going to ask me if my mother had always been an alcoholic or something to that effect but this was...not what I expected.

"What? No, why? You're asking me if my mother beats me because of what happened before? She was drunk, you couldn't tell?" My answer was probably too loud for the setting but I was not about to let someone accuse my mother of abuse.

"No, it's not because she was drunk, of course I noticed that. Look, we don't have to talk about it, I was just...worried."

"Why did you ask me that?" I wasn't about to let it go.

"**Because. **Because your father just...watched as she screamed at you, like...like it was normal. He didn't seem bothered at all that she was going to slap you Michiru. I know this is none of my business but I don't want to walk away from tonight wondering if you're going home to a beating." His voice was a whisper but had a lot of feeling in it. Again his words caught me off guard. "So, please, tell me the truth. Does she hit you?"

The look in his eyes were overwhelming, he cared about me and that was obvious but the concern there was too intense. He only knew me for a week and now he feels obligated to protect me? I've never had anyone...care enough to tell me the truth, no matter how hard it might be to hear. I mean, I knew my father would have just sat there and he wouldn't have stopped my mother from hitting me but the fact that Hisagi noticed and cared, that was too much. I leaned over and craddled my face in my hands, I couldn't handle anymore of this conversation.

Hisagi misinterperated my actions and he shifted in his seat, turning towards me. "Oh, God, Michiru." His eyebrows were furrowed and I immediately sat back up.

"No! No, that wasn't my answer! No, she doesn't hit me."

"Does she hurt you any other way?" His words sounded calmer than before but he still sounded concerned. I was physically tired of talking about my mother and let out a sigh to portray that.

"Once in a while when she's drunk she gets a little...rough. Nothing bad, she'll just get in my face or shove me or something. She doesn't abuse me so...let's just drop it. Okay? Thank you, really, for worrying but don't." Before Hisagi could say anything, an obnoxious advertisement for an upcoming movie blared through the speakers and cut our conversation off. Once the sound got lower, I felt Hisagi lean over and he began whispering in my ear.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you angry and I had no business bringing that up." My only response was to nod and force a smile on my face. I turned to the screen and tried to forget the whole thing. I wasn't going to let my mother ruin this, I really liked Hisagi and he cared about me a lot.

The movie was relevantly funny but I was drifting in and out. The conversation about my mom abusing me wore me out and I had actually fallen asleep for a good five minutes before Hisagi realized and woke me up. He offered to take me home so I could get some sleep but I reassured him I was fine. Before I knew it, the movie was over and we were heading out to the car.

Hisagi grabbed the door handle and again pulled open the car door allowing me to slide in the passenger seat. After he got in and started the car and headed towards his house for dinner with Kana. The closer we got to our destination the more tense I noticed Hisagi get. He was nervous and I took that as an oppurtunity to talk about him.

"What's wrong?" He turned towards my voice and I saw his expression relax a bit.

"Nothing," he stated, his voice was even.

"Why are you...anxious?" I couldn't keep the grin off my face, he was cute when he was nervous. Instead of denying it, he shrugged and turned back to the road. I thought that was the end of our conversation but he finally spoke.

"I just...want things to go well." His words surprisingly made me laugh loudly.

"Hisagi, could it possibly go worse than it did at my house?" I saw a smile creep up on his face, one that gave away his enlightenment.

"I guess not."

I was glad we could laugh at the earlier awkward situation and felt myself relax also. The doubt of our date had decreased and we both felt more confident. Again I let out a laugh at Hisagi's earlier statement and turned to glance out the windshield. While my eyes were off him, Hisagi reached over and gave me a playful shove.

"It's not that funny." Still he smiled and turned to face me. I chuckled quietly at his actions and held up my hands.

"Okay, okay. I'm done."

"Good," he said as he reached over and took one of my hands in his. His fingers slid between mine and I could sense his hesitation. He wasn't sure if he'd made the wrong move so I slightly squeezed his hand to reassure him that it was fine. I saw the grin on his face widen before he squeezed my hand back.

The rest of ride was silent but comfortable. Our hands stayed tangle together until we reached the entrance to the neighborhood. Hisagi pulled away to turn the wheel of the car and when the car rolled into the cluster of homes I felt my stomach knot up. My own nerves were getting to me.

We pulled into a driveway and in front of us sat a small, very small, house. It was fairly kept on the outside but needed to be painted. The grass was freshly cut, I could smell it, but there were yellow patches in random spots. In the driveway, there was only one car, the one we pulled up in. It was obvious that they didn't have all the money in the world and maybe Hisagi thought I'd look down on him for it but before entering, I had the feeling his place would feel more like a home than mine ever had.

While I was taking in the appearance of the house, I hadn't noticed that Hisagi was waiting with my door already open. I must have worried him because when I looked up at him, he was frowning back at me. I gave him a puzzled look.

"What?"

"Why are you just...sitting there?" His voice was level but his face gave away his anxiety.

"I'm just looking at your house." I smiled and pulled myself out of the car. He stayed silent but his expression didn't change. "It's cute." When he didn't move I walked around him and headed towards the door. I heard the car door close and figured he had followed me. My hand formed a small fist and I raised it, about to knock when I felt Hisagi grab my wrist and stop me.

"You don't need to knock, I'm right here. I'm not knocking on my own door you goob." He held an amused tone in his words and he reached around my to open the door. I pushed his arm away and turned to look up at him.

"Maybe I want to. You had to knock on my door."

"You were in the house." He laughed and shook his head. "Alright, go ahead." Again I raised my hand up and lightly tap the door with my knuckle. Afterwards I heard laughter from the inside and a woman spoke before opening the door.

"What the hell Hisagi? How do you forget your key _again?"_ Once the door was pulled open I saw a dark haired woman who was about six inches taller than me. Most people would consider her short but compared to me, she had an intimidating though friendly stature. When she saw me her eyes widened slightly and she excitedly wrapped her arms around me.

"Hello! You must be Michiru. It's so nice to meet you." She turned her attention to Hisagi. "Why'd you knock?" He shrugged it off and rolled his eyes amused at my request.

"It's nice to meet you M-" Her expression stopped me and I knew what that look was for. "I mean, it's nice to meet you Kana." She gave me a pleased look and pulled back.

"Well come in." As we stepped inside the house I noticed how well kept it was. Everything looked clean and free of cludder, it seemed like everything had a place. The walls were a beautiful shade of red and the hard wood floor had no visible scratches. The differnce between the exterior and interior reminded me of Hisagi's car. Both Kana and Hisagi watched as I looked around the room and at first I didn't hear them talking about me.

"She's a cute little thing isn't she?" Kana's voice brought my attention back to them. I heard Hisagi laugh and looked up to see him roll his eyes. "Well, don't you think so?"

"Yes mother, she's quite attractive. There, is that what you want to hear?" His mother's laugh sounded so much like his own it surprised me.

"I'm just making sure you appreciate how adorable she is." Her hand lightly patted my face before she continued. "Adorable and inocent. And don't you ruin that." She gave Hisagi a playfully stern look before turning back to me. "I love your dress and your shoes are awesome."

"Oh, thank you." My voice was shy and humble.

"Come on, can we just eat already? I'm hungry." Though he sounded honestly impatient, there was still a friendly tone to his words.

"Yes, Sweety, we can eat." She led us to the kitchen, which wasn't far, and told us where to sit. "After washing your hands, you sit there Hisagi and Michiru can sit across from you." I wasn't sure why she did that but I didn't mind. We washed our hands and quickly took our seats. Hisagi gave me a look and rolled his eyes. I felt a smile creep up and before I could say anything Kana spoke up.

"You'll live Sagi. I'm just not sure if I can trust you next to her." His nicname caught me off guard and I couldn't stop the laugh from escaping my lips. Kana looked satisfied but Hisagi didn't seem to mind all that much. He turned to me and shook his head.

"I'm sorry that's just too cute." I covered my mouth with my hand and supressed another cackle.

"Sure it is." All I did was nod before gaining control.

Kana started dispersing food on our plates and after that we settled into a comfortable conversation. Most of it was them getting to know me and once Kana seemed satisfied she turned on Hisagi. She offered to show me pictures and told me to ask away. She said she'd answer any question she could and I learned a lot of random facts about Hisagi. For example, when he was a child he often found it funny to run in the road while his mother was watching. I also learned that when he was twelve he nearly got the tip of his pointer finger cut off in some sort of accident. I couldn't listen to the details and asked to change the subject before discovering how it happened, though I did see the scar.

The night paced by but after we'd all finished eating Hisagi stood from the table. He grabbed my plate and took it to the sink after asking if I had gotten enough to eat. Kana handed hers over to him and smiled at me.

"I hope you enjoyed the food. I don't cook often so I tend to get a little rusty."

"It was great, thank you." I smiled warmly back at her. I'd come to love her. She was friendly and a great mother. She had fantastic people skills and never seemed unhappy to listen to me and Hisagi talk. "So," she began, turning her attention back to her son, "you've been very well behaved. I'll allow you a few minutes to show her around the house, just don't linger in the bedroom too long. Once your done we can watch a movie or something." Hisagi brushed off the bedroom comment and grabbed my hand. He helped me up from the table and dragged me off to give me a tour.

Like I observed before, the house was extremely small, but all the rooms were clean and cute. When we reached the end of the hall he opened the door and stated that it was his room. He began to pull the door shut when I ducked under his arm and entered. It was cleaner than I thought it would be and his bed was even made.

I walked around the room with my hands folded behind my back. As I looked around at everything I heard Hisagi step in the room and walk up behind me. "What exactly are you looking at?"

"Nothing in particular, just looking. You're room is so clean."

"Did you expect a pigpin?" He took a step closer to me and rested his hands on my shoulders. I shrugged lightly as a response. He put a little weight on me and rested his chin lightly on my head as we studied a few pictures hanging on the wall. His gesture was friendly and I could tell he thought nothing of it. We stood there studying the details of his room when I felt his head shift over me. His forehead rested on my head and I heard him sigh tiredly.

"You okay?" He nodded his head slightly, not wanting to move too much. "You sure I mean it's..." I glanced at the clock sitting on his nightstand, "already nine-thirty. Is that past your bedtime?" I heard him laugh quietly.

"Do you _want_ it to be my bedtime?" His arms slipped around my waist and I knew he was just kidding. I pulled away slightly before feeling his grip tighten. I was finally able to turn around and attempt to shove him back. Before I could say anything a third voice was heard from the doorway.

"Well, what do we have here?" Kana stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "Didn't I distinctly say _not_ to linger in the bedroom?" She shook her head but still had a smile on her face. I was worried that she was truly agitated even though she looked amused. "I knew you'd seduce her, this pure inocent little girl. I'm so dissapointed in you son." My face must have given away my fear of getting Hisagi in trouble because her expression shifted into a more concerned grin. "Sweety, I'm just messing around. Don't look so scared, I'm not mad. Come on, let's go watch a movie before you have to leave."

With that, we headed towards the livingroom. Kana had already picked out an "appropriate" movie and stuck it in the DVD player. The screen was brightly portraying the movies menu as I sat on the couch. Hisagi grabbed a large blanket off the back of the couch and sat next to me as he began unfolding it. Without asking, he spread the blanket out over our laps and pulled his legs up and crossed them. I followed his lead and pulled my legs onto the couch before hugging them close to my chest. As I got situated I felt Hisagi's arm lay over the back of the couch behind me and decided to rest my head on my knees, not wanting so little distance between us.

Kana pushed play and started the movie. I wasn't exactly sure what it was called but it turned out to be a "thriller." This definately fit in the scary category but I didn't say anything. My body tensed slightly and Hisagi turned towards me.

"You gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine, it's just a movie." I couldn't help but smile even though I was scared to face the film. He nodded and smiled back before turning back to the television. Kana was seated on a relciner sitting near the door we had entered about an hour ago.

As the movie progressed I was able to relax. The plot was slow to form and I found my mind wandering during the boring parts. After fifteen minutes I felt Hisagi slump back tiredly and I figured he'd be out before the movie ended. Slowly and gradually his body shifted closer to me and I soon realized that he was half asleep. When his weight became too much, I pushed him back until he was half way laying on the couch with his head resting on the arm. I reached over with a pillow and tried to manuver it under his head carefully when I felt his arms wrap around my waist again. He pulled me against his chest and when I looked up at him, his eyes were closed and his breathing was even. I glanced over at Kana who was completely wrapped in the movie, thankfully. Instead of pulling away I rested my head on his chest and continued to watch the movie, not knowing what was happening. Not long later, I was fighting to keep my eyes open and soon lost the battle. In a few minutes I had drifted off to sleep.

It didn't seem like I'd slept very long when I felt someone shaking me. My eyes slid open slowly and my hands instinctively covered my eyes, protecting them from the glare of the light. I soon heard Kana speaking to both Hisagi and myself.

"Come on you guys, get up." She sighed frustrated with us and shook us again. "Get up." As soon as she was about to give up, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I felt Hisagi shift under me and heard him yawn before stretching.

"I'm sorry, Kana." I strectched my legs out just as Hisagi shifted again and without completely realizing it, I fell off the couch onto my side. My eyes widened once I registered what was happening but no one noticed on time. I blinked once I hit the floor and sat up instantly.

"Are you okay?" Hisagi's voice was worried but once he saw me smile back, he relaxed.

"Yes, thank you."

"Sagi, you two better head out. It's about eleven-thirty." As soon as we heard the time, we both got up and slipped on our shoes. Gaining all that height made it difficult to walk with my sleepy demeanor but before I could fall again, Hisagi took hold of my arm and held me up. After hugging Kana goodbye we left.

The car ride to my house was silent, we were both too tired to talk much but it was a very comfortable silence. I rested back against my chair and rested my eyes for a moment. After a moment I felt myself drifting off again but before I could slip off to sleep I felt Hisagi's hand lightly grab mine.

"Hey, wait a few minutes okay? I don't think your mother would appreciate me carrying you to your room on our first date." He tugged on my hand and smiled as I opened my eyes.

"Or ever." I gave him a tired grin and fought to keep my eyes open. He let out a small laugh and continued to drive towards my house.

Still we rode in silence and in a few minutes we were approaching the gate entry way to the Ogawa home. Hisagi drove up until we were close to the large stairway leading to the front door. He quickly got out and strode over to my door, opening it for the thousandth time and helped me out. We didn't move towards the house, we stood facing each other.

"I had a really great time, Michiru." He smiled lazily down at me and I could tell he was just as tired as I was.

"So did I."

"Maybe we could do this again, sometime soon." His smiled widened and he took a step closer to me before wrapping me up in a hug. I returned the gesture while answering.

"I'd love to." I pulled back and yawned. "I'd better go, thanks for everything." He didn't say anything, he merely bent down and kissed me quickly on the cheek.

"No, problem. And you're sure you're going to be okay in there?" He didn't need to clarify, I knew he was making sure I wouldn't get a beating once I entered the house.

"I'm possitive, thanks." I gave him one last smile before heading towards the door. Without turning back I lifted my hand in a simple way of saying goodbye and opened the front door, not caring what my mother would say to me. I immediately stalked off to my room and couldn't wait for my next date.

Okay it took forever to get this done so I hope you all enjoy! :) Hope it's worth the wait. Please read and review! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Back again! :) I really enjoyed writing my last chapter, their date was fun! Here's chapter five!

_Hisagi's POV_

After our first date, Michiru and I began hanging out regularly. In the mornings we'd always have breakfast together along with Renji, Rukia, and Ichigo. I'd then walk Michiru to her first hour which turned out to be Rukia's also. During lunch all five of us would meet up, sitting at the same table we occupied every morning for breakfast. Then after school was over we'd decide who's house we wanted to go to. Usually I'd go over to her house because her mother didn't approve of her spending so much time out, or so she said. Once we settled onto one of the couches in one of the living rooms or sitting rooms, we'd start our school work. This became our routine for the next two weeks and it wasn't long before Michiru timidly asked me if I was her boyfriend.

A few days after we talked about the status of our relationship, we were walking down the hall together on our way to lunch. In one arm I had a few of Michiru's books and my other hand was occupied in her's. While dodging our way through the hallway, Renji and Rukia met up with us. They were bickering like they usually did but both wore smiles on their faces. I knew Renji had feelings for her but sometimes I thought she liked Renji more than she let on. It was obvious to all that she was crazy for Ichigo but I couldn't stop thinking that Rukia had feelings for Renji too. Before finishing their arguement, Rukia turned towards us and greeted us excitedly.

"Hey guys." She elbowed me playfullly and smiled up at us. "How's it going?"

"Good," I said as I layed my hand on top of her head before ruffling up her hair. She attempted to push my hand away but failed. After I pulled away she gave me a dirty look and began to fix her hair. I knew she had no hard feelings and laughed at her expression.

We continued walking and before reaching the cafeteria, Ichigo joined us, taking his spot behind Rukia. As we entered the large room, I grabbed Michiru's hand. We always got surprised looks in the hallway, our whole group did. We were a bunch of sophomores and juniors that was almost always seen together. In our school different classes didn't tend to mix and this came as a surprise to everyone. Another reason that we gained attention was because Michiru and Ichigo were both pretty rich, while Renji and myself came from "troubled" families. Rukia's family did well for themselves but they were no where as financially steady as the Ogawa's or Kurosaki's. The main reason we got these curious glances was because of Renji and Rukia. Everyone in the freshman and sophomore classes knew how close Ichigo and Rukia were, so when she started hanging out with Renji, a notorious player, they all suspected that Rukia was cheating on Ichigo. Everytime they walked down the hall together, people would give them these angry stares that told Rukia how much they disapproved of her scandelous activities. So, as we entered the cafeteria we weren't surprised to see a few people turn and watch us.

Once we got in line we split into two groups, Michiru and myself walked to one line while the other three entered another. I tightened my grip on her hand as we slipped through a group of motionless people. We quickly grabbed our lunch and headed towards our table. As always, we were the first to the table, Renji was always so slow when it came to deciding what he was hungry for and Rukia grew into the habit of dragging along with him, something that pissed Ichigo off to no end. Finally after five minutes, the three sat down and when I glanced up at Ichigo, he looked like he was losing patience with Rukia.

Before she could sit, Renji pulled out Ruk's chair and took Ichigo's seat next to her. At first she sat down and layed her tray on the table without noticing Ichigo just standing there but when she turned her head and saw Renji, she gave him a frustrated sigh.

"Renji, please move." Though she was polite we all heard the stern tone in her words. Looking happy with himself, Renji looked down at her smiling.

"Why does it matter? Does he have to sit here everyday? It's really not a big deal." He shrugged it off and began eating. Ichigo sighed and sat his food down before turning and heading for the door. Rukia smacked the back of Renji's head after standing. She turned to follow Ichigo but Renji grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Don't. If he's going to get pissed over nothing, is he really worth keeping around?" His expression was serious and I could tell he felt more towards Rukia than he first realized.

"I don't care what upsets him! I love him, Renji. If you're really my friend you'll stop trying to ruin our relationship." Her voice was loud and it was clear she was angry. Renji's eyes slightly widened at her words, she'd never really came out and told us she_ loved _Ichigo. I guess it shocked him. Still he kept his grip on her arm.

Michiru stood and told me she was going after Ichigo and left me there to witness this...encounter. When I turned back to them, Renji had begun talking to her, his voice almost pleading for her to understand.

"I'm not doing anything, Rukia. I'm not trying to ruin anything. I only do the things I do to show you how much I like you!" Again, we had the attention of everyone around us, but we were used to it. Rukia froze for just a moment before shaking her head and continueing.

"I told you a long time ago, we're just friends. I'm sorry, but you can't just...act like this. I have a boyfriend and you know you're effecting my relationship with Ichigo. Just _stop_." She was slightly glaring at him and their eyes were almost level, not quite. She still had to look up slightly as they stared at each other for a few moments.

"Well, I don't want to be your _friend_, Rukia." Without seeming to notice, he pulled her closer by her wrist. She tried to pull away but it didn't do much good. I could see her skin around Renji's fingers turn white and figured he had a decent grip on her.

"I can't help it. I'm not dumping Ichigo, for anything or anyone. The only way that relationship is ending is if he dumps me." She looked like her anger was wavering slightly and I thought she was going to break down. "I'm sorry but if you can't be my friend, I can't talk to you Renji. I'm not going to risk Ichigo, I'm sorry." Again she tried to pry away from his grip but Renji wouldn't let her go.

"No, Rukia, you can't do that." His eyebrows furrowed and a slight frown played on his face. Rukia frowned back at him and it was obviously hard for her to give up his friendship. Before she started talking, Michiru and Ichigo walked up to the table. Ichigo still looked angry and was not happy with the little distance between Renji and Rukia.

"Yes, I can. If you're going to continue to act like this, then I can't hang out with you anymore. I care about Ichigo too much." Rukia obviously didn't realize that Ichigo was standing there and her words made Ichigo relax a bit. She pulled back and gained a little ground before Renji tightened his grip.

"Fine, I'll stop. Just...calm down. I'll stop, if that's what you want."

"It is." Renji nodded at her statement. Before he could speak Ichigo took a step forward and opened his mouth.

"Now let her go." He glared down at Renji and grabbed Rukia's free hand. Reluctantly, he let go of her arm and glared back at Ichigo. Rukia took a step back closer to Ichigo, who tugged on her arm and told her they were leaving. She nodded and turned back to Renji.

"I'll talk to you later." She told Renji before they took another step back. He turned his gaze back to Ichigo and his glare deepened.

"Lucky bastard." With that, Ichigo dragged Rukia off, leaving me and Michiru with a furious Renji. Michiru sat back down next to me and gave Renji a concerned glance.

"Are you okay, Renji?" Instead of answering, he glared off towards the wall. Michiru gave a slight nod and turned to her tray of food. She started picking at her meal and I decided to follow her lead and let it go. I started eating and reached over to pat Michiru's back with my free hand. The rest of our meal was silent and the rest of the day, Renji didn't say a word.

At the end of the day before we headed out of the building, Michiru asked Renji if he felt any better but he still wouldn't answer, so we said our goodbyes and headed out the door. I grabbed Michiru's hand after getting my school bag situated and asked her which house she wanted to go to.

"Actually, my mother said she wanted me to start taking my French lessons again, so I have to go home. You can come if you want but my lesson starts at three fifteen." She glanced up at me and her face looked worried, like she was expecting me to be angry.

"It's fine. Would your mom get mad if I stayed for the lesson?" She smiled, showing a little relieved.

"I don't think so but why would you want to?"

"It sounds interesting. Besides, isn't French supposed to be one of those 'romantic' languages. Maybe it'll turn out pretty hot." I gave her a grin and raised my eyebrows.

"_Words_ turn you on? You're a freak." Her grip on my hand tightened and she let out a soft laugh. "I promise you, unless you're crazy, it will not be hot. I just learn French grammar or new vocabulary words, but if you want to stay, you can." I nodded and we started towards her house.

Once we reached the house, we saw a black sleek car sitting in front of the house. I guessed it was just her French teacher and my thoughts were confirmed when we walked in. A tall skinny woman was standing in the entry way. She was talking to Mei-Mei, who always made sure to greet us when I came over, and turned towards us as the door closed. She gave Michiru a warm smile and approached us with Mei-Mei following.

"Bonjour, Michiru!" The woman's small arms wrapped around Michiru. "Comment ça va?" I felt Michiru's hand slip out of mine and she hugged the woman back.

"Bien, merci." The greetings were easy to follow but after those two words, I had a hard time following the conversation. They began only speaking in French even when I was introduced. I heard the woman ask a muted question before turning towards me. Michiru spoke up and grabbed my arm. "C'est ma petit-ami, Hisagi Shuuhei. Hisagi, this is Madame Seki."

I stretched out my hand to shake her hand, though I thought she'd expect a bow like most adults, and to my surprise she confidently shook my hand. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

"Bonsoir, Hisagi." She pronounced my name like the "H" was silent and turned back to Michiru. "Il est tres mignon." Her friendly smile widened and I wondered what she had said.

Michiru just nodded and said, "Oui."

They continued to talk and started towards the living room. I followed a few steps behind and Mei-Mei fell into step with me. "Don't worry, they didn't say anything bad, I promise." She smiled up at me and gave me a look that reminded me of my mother.

"You know French too?"

"Well, I've been sitting in on these lessons from the start, so I've learned a lot." She turned back to look at Michiru, a warm grin spreading over her face.

"Why did you always sit in?"

"Well, Sayuri likes to be assured that Michi's learning, so from the beginning I was ordered to monitor the lessons." I nodded and also turned back to the two in front of us.

In the next hour, Mei-Mei and I sat on the opposite couch of Michiru and Seki as they constantly spoke in French, having a nonstop flow of conversation. The language was beautiful, I had to admit. The words all slurred together delicately and it made every other languages I'd heard seem choppy and stiff. Michiru's voice was steady but soft, she spoke with more confidence than I'd ever heard her. She definitely knew a lot about the language and she spoke it as if she always knew how. The lesson was no where near "hot" but I enjoyed listening to Michiru's voice as it took on a well practiced French accent. It was cute.

Once the lesson ended, Madame Seki left and Mei-Mei went to tell the cook what to fix for dinner. Because of the French excersise, we weren't able to do our work right after school, so Michiru grabbed her bag and decided to go up to her room to work on our homework. I was sort of nervous to go, I didn't want Sayuri getting even more pissed off at me, but I followed without saying a word. We went up the stairs Michiru had walked down the night of our first date and headed through a large hallway. We headed up another set of stairs and I noticed a shorter hallway that held only one door on each side. She opened up the door on the left and after taking a few steps through the door, I took in the details of her enormous den.

The room was the length of the hallway and there was so much open space, it was ridiculous. How could someone so tiny need so much space? The bed was king sized and rested in a corner next to a small window. A matching dresser sat against the wall in the opposite corner. The wood floors were shiny and scratch free and the walls were painted a bright yellow. There were a few other objects like a full-length mirror and a door probably leading to a closet.

"Holy crap, Michiru. You're room is the size of my house." The initial shock wore off and I gave her a teasing smile. She rolled her eyes and smacked my arm.

"No, it's not. Come on, lets get our work done." She walked over to the bed and plopped down. Her hands smoothed out her skirt before opening her school bag and pulling out her school work. After a moment of hesitation, I stalked over and sat next to her. I grabbed my folder and tossed my bag on the floor. I wasn't sure how comfortable I was allowed to get while sitting on her bed, so I rested my folder on my legs and began scribbling on my work sheet. While focusing on my paper, I felt Michiru shift next to me and when I glanced over at her she was laying on her stomach. Her elbows were propped up and one of her hands supported the weight of her head. She glanced over at me and gave me a confused smile.

"What?" She saw the way I was working on my lap and laughed. "Hisagi, get comfortable, you don't need to sit so...awkwardly." I relaxed a bit but she still wasn't convinced. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just...don't want to do anything that'll get your mom mad at you, or me."

"She won't, you can lay down, really." She smiled again and turned back to her work.

"But-"

"Lay down, Hisagi." Her eyes didn't leave her paper when she spoke. I felt a grin appear on my face and reluctantly shifted until I was lying next to her. We continued to do our work and in fifteen minutes both of us had finished. I tossed my folder on the ground next to my bag and Michiru did the same. She turned onto her side and faced me. Her eyes slid closed and her arms folded under her head. I glanced over at her again and noticed her face relax, she was falling asleep. My hand reached out and I quickly poked her side. She cringed away and let out a loud laugh.

"Don't." Her voice was stern but she was still smiling back at me. Again I reached over and poked her, though she held up her hands as an attempt to stop me. She laughed and I slid closer to her. This time both hands stretched out and I began titillating her with more energy. Her laugh grew in volume and she continued to try to push me away but failed. I sat up and scooted closer to her, my body hovered over her while continueing to tickle her. Again her voice crescendoed and she attempted to speak, her words coming out in short phrases.

"Hisagi...stop." Her hands were pushing at my chest, trying to free herself. She let out a loud squeal and started kicking her legs. "Stop it!"

"You're going to have to try hard-" I was cut off by a loud noise and when I turned to see what it was, I saw Sayuri Ogawa standing in the doorway. She had just slammed the door open and now had a very angry expression on her face.

"Get off her now!" She strode into the room and began approaching the bed. "Get out of my house you worthless piece of trash!" The scent of alcohol drifted throughout the room but that didn't stop me from listening. I sat up right away and slid off the bed and grabbed my school bag.

"I'm...sorry." My voice was quiet and it sounded a little scared. I wasn't sure what she was going to do. Before I realized what she _was_ doing, I felt her hand smash against my face and it had more force than I would have thought.

"I said get out!"

"Mom!" Michiru stood and pushed her mother away. Her actions were obviously the first thing that came to her mind because she flinched back before Sayuri knew what happened. Mrs. Ogawa stared angrily at Michiru but made no move towards her, so she continued. "You can't talk to him like that and you have no right to touch him." Her words were less confident than before but she tried to keep the fear out of them.

Finally Sayuri reacted and brought her fist up to punch her daughter. The initial shock stunned me and in that breif moment, I couldn't stop it from happening. Mrs. Ogawa's fist contacted with Michiru's face and the force pushed her back against me. Her hands were covering her nose and tears were spilling out of her eyes. I carelessly grabbed Michiru and sat her on the bed before facing her mother.

"Don't you ever touch her again! What the hell's wrong with you?" I exclaimed as I stood over Sayuri, trying to intimidate her. She stepped back and glared up at me.

"Get out of my house you bastard! Don't ever talk to my daughter again!" She balled up her fists angrily. I opened my mouth to yell back but heard Michiru groan behind me. Turning back towards the bed, I saw her sit up and noticed blood begin to spill between her fingers.

"Are you okay?" My voice was frantic and I reached out and grabbed her waist, helping her stand again. "Is your nose broken?" She shook her head but she continued to cry.

"Don't touch her! Get away and get out! I'll take care of her." I felt Michiru's mother grab my arm and pull me away, putting a small distance between us.

"Yeah, you'll take care of her? You did this you crazy-" I cut myself of and tried to calm down a little. "I'm taking her to the hospital." Sayuri started to scream her disapproval but was cute off when Michiru spoke up.

"I'm fine, Hisagi, just...go home. I'll have our nurse look at it. Just go home and let my mother cool off, please." Her words were muffled because her hands were still covering her face.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" I couldn't keep the anxiety from my voice.

"I'll be fine, I'll see you tomorrow." Her hand reached out and gave me a nudge. I nodded and wrapped my arms around her carefully. My lips brushed against the top of her head and I reminded her to be careful. I forced myself to leave the house and the whole way home I worried over what else that bitch would do to Michiru. I had to put faith in her reassuring words and waited until I reached home to pull out my phone and dial her number. No one picked up and I felt my stomach knot. I felt like I would puke but continued to call every twenty minutes or so. I wasn't going to give up, so the rest of the afternoon I sat in my room and pushed the redial button. _What the hell is going on!_

Well there it is. Sorry I left it end at such a weird part but we'll all find out what happened with Michiru next chapter.

Oh and the French part. The first few sentences are just greetings. Hello, how are you, I'm great.

The next part was Madame Seki saying "He's very cute."


	6. Chapter 6

Back again! :D Hope you're all enjoying this story so far. I really like how well it's going, hope you all agree. I wanted to apologize for the crummy spelling. I edit my chapters on the document manager and save them but when I post them, they're back to the original copies. I'm really sorry, I don't know how to fix it. Anyhoo, here's chapter six! :)

_Michiru's POV_

After checking with the house nurse, I found out that my nose wasn't broken but it was in a lot of pain. The nurse asked me how it happened but my mother answered, making up a lame excuse about me falling and hitting my head on the coffee table. The woman glanced at me and I knew she wasn't sure whether to believe it or not, but she didn't question further. Like everyone else in this house, she was my parent's employee and she wasn't going to risk losing her job by opening her mouth. By the time the nurse had finished up, my nose had stopped bleeding but the pain killers she'd given me hadn't kicked in. She dismissed me and told me to be more careful.

I headed out the door and wasn't surprised to hear my mother's footsteps behind me. She sped up until she stood in front of me. I stopped and tilted my head up to meet her eyes. Though I wanted to give her an angry glare but my fear stopped me and all I could muster up was a calm, confused expression.

"What?" Again, my voice was soft, like usual and she didn't seem effected by me at all.

"Don't you open your mouth about this. Don't tell anyone or you'll regret it." She took a step closer to me and got in my face. "And you better stay away from that..._boy_. I don't approve of him, he's not good enough for his family."

"He's not dating this family, he's dating me." I heard a little more confidence in my voice but my expression was still timid. When her glare turned cold, I instinctively took a step back.

"You heard me, Michiru. You're not seeing him." With that she backed down and stomped away, her heels clicking against the floor as she left.

Her words had worried me but I wasn't sure how much of it was the alcohol talking so I didn't let myself panic too much before facing her sober in the morning. That night I slept with a bag of ice pressed to my face and pushed my anxiety away long enough to slip into unconciousness.

The next morning I felt small hands shaking me, trying to wake me. I sat up tiredly and rubbed my eyes only to pull away quickly. My face was sensitive and I wondered how much of it was bruised. Before registering who had just woke me up, I heard a surprised gasp and Mei-Mei began questioning me.

"Michiru, what in the world happened to you? When did this happen? Are you okay?" I glanced up and saw an anxious expression on her face. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to lie to Mei-Mei.

"I...fell. I tripped over my bag and landed on the coffee table." As the words spilled out of my mouth, I could tell she didn't believe me. Her eyebrows knit together and her eyes grew misty.

"Michiru...did she hit you?" A few stray tears trickled down her face. A sigh escaped my lips before I could stop it, I couldn't handle tears this early.

"I'm fine, Mei-Mei. She was drunk and she was angry because Hisagi was in my room. Please don't bring it up, it's not like it'll happen again." Sliding my legs over the edge of the bed, I stood and stretched. "Look, I have to get ready for school. Does it look that bad?" She shook her head and stood next to me.

"You don't know if she'll do it again." Her hands wiped at her face and she gained some control. "I can't just sit aside and let her hurt you, Michiru. Please, don't let her get away with this."'

"Mei-Mei, don't. If I say anything, she'll just get angrier. I'm fine so please just drop it. Please?" After a moment of hesitation, she nodded and hugged me. "Now, will you please help me cover up this bruise?" I felt a small smile tug at my lips and she forcfully returned the gesture.

We spent the morning going through my bathroom trying to find something to cover the dark spots on my face. A few things helped but not much and by the time I headed down the stairs, I had given up and washed everything off. Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I ran into my mother who looked groggy and had a cup of coffee in her hand. She mumbled an apology and glanced down at me.

"Sorry, Michiru, I didn't see you-" Her eyes went wide and she nearly dropped her coffee cup. "What...happened to you, Michiru?" Her reaction was similar to Mei-Mei's and her own shocke was mirrored on my face.

"What are you talking about?" I lowered my voice and leaned closer to her. "You...hit me, Mom." The words sunk in and her face slowly sank. She looked like she was about to puke, but that could've been the hangover.

"I-I don't remember a thing." Her voice trailed off before she gave me a concerned frown. "Michiru, I'm so sorry." She shook her head and looked down to the ground. Before speaking again, she returned her gaze to me. "Are you okay?" I was growing impatient with her and sighed frustrated.

"I'm fine. Look, I've got to go. I'll talk to you after school." I thought about this and wondered what else she couldn't remember. "I'm going over to Hisagi's for a few hours, though." She just nodded and patted my arm.

"Of course, that's perfectly fine, Sweety. Please just...be careful and...have a good time." She wrapped her arms around me and I could smell the alcohol she'd consumed last night but didn't pull away. I stood there and stared towards the door, wishing I could leave. "I love you, Michiru." It stunned me that her words meant nothing to me but I mumbled a quick reply before leaving, trying to prepare myself for a day full of questioning stares.

_Hisagi's POV_

I hadn't been able to reach Michiru all night so when I got to the school, I headed straight for her locker and waited until she showed up. It only took about five minutes but it seemed like a life time. When she approached me, my eyes immediately searched her face. A large black bruise coverd the majority of the upper left side of her face but luckily it seemed that her nose wasn't broken. She smiled up at me nervously and greeted me like nothing was wrong.

"Michiru, are you okay?" My voice was too loud but I couldn't control it. "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I'm fine, Hisagi. My phone was turned off in my bag, I didn't even think about turning it on, sorry." She opened her locker and began rumaging through her belongings.

"What did your mom do once I left?" My eyebrows knitted together and she glanced up at the question.

"Nothing. She dragged me off to the nurse and told me to stop seeing you." I felt a different anxiety grow in the pit of my stomach before speaking.

"So...what are you going to do?" Before answering she put everything down and turned to me. This freaked me out and I knew she was going to go through with it, she was dumping me.

"I'm not going to listen to her, Hisagi." My eyes grew wide, I was sure she'd respect her mother's demands. She noticed my shock and grinned. "My mother doesn't even remember yesterday. She asked me what happened this morning and when I told her she spazzed out."

"Are you serious?" I knelt down closer to her so the conversation wouldn't be overheard. She nodded and her smile widened as she formed her next words.

"When I told her I was going over to your house today, she told me to be careful." I didn't find this as amusing as she and continued to frown down at her. "What?"

"Michiru, this is serious. She has a serious problem." She stepped back a little and tilted her head to look directly at me.

"You don't thinkg I know that?" Her face no longer looked amused. "What do you want me to do about it? I'm just glad she isn't telling me that I can't see you." Her eyebrows turned down in a slight glare and I decided not to push this any further, she was too upset about everything else.

"Nothing, you're right. You can't really do much about it right now. I'm sorry, Michiru." She sighed and I thought she was frustrated with me but her face gave away how tired she was.

"Don't be, I'm sorry I snapped like that." _That_ was snapping? "I'm just...sick of her. Let's just not talk about that okay?" I nodded and we headed off towards the cafeteria, like every other morning. After taking her books from her, I grabbed her hand and realized how lucky we were that her mother was _drunk_ yesterday.

When we entered the lunch room, Michiru told me she wasn't hungry so we headed over to our table where the other three were already sitting. Renji sat across from Rukia and Ichigo was next to her in his regular spot. We took our seats next to Renji and greeted everyone. It only took a moment for the inevitable to occur. All three stared at Michiru's and bruise before Rukia spoke up.

"What the hell happened to you?" She quickly glanced at me before returning her gaze to Michiru. I noticed her eyebrows raise slightly and realized what she was getting at.

"Do you think_ I _did this?" I glared down at her angrily. She held my gaze and didn't falter but managed a shrug. Michiru sighed loudly and interupted us, stopping a potential fist fight. I wasn't into hitting girls but I thought Rukia'd hold up enough for it to be fair.

"He didn't do anything. Look, my mom was drunk last night. She got angry and lashed out. She apologized and I'm fine so drop it." Her words were directed towards Ruk but the other two didn't ask anything else. They all nodded and I felt a tiny hand reach over and pat my arm.

"Sorry, Hisagi. I should have known you'd never do anything to hurt her." Rukia's expression was sincere, so I relaxed and nodded at her words.

"It's fine."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before the bell rang. All of us stood and headed out towards our classes like usual. As I picked up Michiru's books, I couldn't help but wonder what role her mother would play in our relationship in the future. It wouldn't go well if Mrs. Ogawa continued to disapprove. Those thoughts plagued me through out the day and I didn't look forward to seeing Sayuri in the near future.

_Michiru's POV_

At the end of the day, I was standing outside of the school waiting on Hisagi and Ichigo. I was with Renji and Rukia but they were deep in their own conversation. Finally they walked out of the school's doors and walked up to us. Hisagi instantly grabbed my stuff and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by some junior who had approached us.

"Hey, Shuuhei, can't control that temper? Looks like she's experienced it first hand." He grinned and another guy standing near him began to laugh histerically. Hisagi dropped my belongings and instantly shoved the boy.

"Would you like to experience it, you son of a bitch?" I had never seen him act like that, so it shocked me when he raised his fist to swing. Without another thought I pushed my way between them and tried to brake it up.

"Hisagi, don't!" My hands were pressed against his chest and I shoved, attempting to add to the distance between the two. After the shock ran it's course through the unknown kid, he began laughing.

"How convincing." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Hisagi ignored my presence and tried to attack the kid again.

"I'd never lay a hand on her, you bastard!" He nearly knocked me over but I saw Ichigo and Renji come up behind him and each took a hold of one of his arms.

"Yeah, that's what it looks like." The boy's stark comment only fueled the fire. Hisagi nearly got away but Renji gained control and tightened his grip. Before any of us could speak again, Rukia approached the kid and shoved him back a great distance. She glared up at him and he looked amused.

"Hisagi didn't touch her and if I hear you tell anyone any different, I'll kick you scrawny little ass." She shoved him again for emphasis and continued with her threat. "And then, after I get back from getting suspended, I'll do it again. Walk away before you regret it." The junior's smug look was wiped off his face and he scoffed before stalking away.

When Rukia turned back to us, we all laughed at her, even Hisagi, but she still had a cold look on her face. "What? I was being serious?" We continued to laugh and after a sigh she smiled and rolled her eyes at us. Renji let go of Hisagi's arm and Ichigo did the same. I bent over and picked up my books only to have them taken from me again. My head tilted back and I glanced at Hisagi.

"Sorry..." His expression was one of a guilty child. I smiled and shook my head.

"It's fine." He nodded and I remembered something I wanted to ask him. "Hey, is it okay if Ichigo comes with us? We have a project due tomorrow and since I was going to go over to your place, I thought he'd come along. Will your mom mind?"

"No, it's cool." Hisagi gave Ichigo a friendly smile and grabbed my hand. Ichigo nodded and turned to Rukia.

"Sorry I had to bail on you." She smiled back at him and shrugged.

"It's cool, I think I'm going to go hang out with Renji for a while." His face fell and his jaw clenched. He was obviously not okay with that. Rukia's expression shifted and she almost glared at his actions. "I'm allowed to hang out with him, Ichigo. If you honestly can't trust me, then you should just dump me." Her words shocked us and I had to surpress a gasp.

"I don't trust _him_." Ichigo's fists clenched and a scowl appeared on his face.

"Well, get over it. I'm going, end of discussion." She turned to leave but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She let out a frustrated sigh. "What?"

"I'm picking you up once we're done." The control he held in his tone surprised me. Everyone knew Rukia "wore the pants" in their relationship but the way he spoke, you could hear the finality in his words. She must have been equally caught off guard but she smiled and hugged him.

"Fine, Ichigo. Pick me up, whatever." His wide eyes gave away his awe and as his arms wrapped around her she piped up again, though quieter than before. "I love you."

"Love you too." He kissed her goodbye and the group split up.

The walk to Hisagi's was silent but it didn't take long for us to make it there. As soon as we walked through the door, Kana welcomed us happily and asked us about Ichigo.

"Well, who's this?" She held out her hand and greeted him excitedly.

"This is Ichigo Kurosaki, we have a project to finish. I hope you don't mind us working here." I smiled up at Kana and gave her a confused look when I saw her frowning. "What?"

"What happened to you, Michiru?" My face, I'd forgotten about my bruise. Behind me Hisagi cleared his throat and I could just mentally picture him shaking his head. With that, she turned back to Ichigo and introduced herself. We then headed towards Hisagi's room and began working on our science project. Ichigo worked quickly and efficiently so we finished in no time. Hisagi had also finished his work in little time and asked us if we wanted anything to eat or drink. I was a little thirsty so we left for the kitchen. Ichigo brought his bag and I figured he'd want to leave for Rukia as soon as he could. He stood awkwardly for a moment before I spoke.

"Why don't you let Hisagi drive you over there? It's a long walk from here to Renji's. Let me grab something to drink and then we can all go pick her up." Ichigo nodded nervously and remained in place. I quickly grabbed a bottle of water and said my goodbyes to Kana. We started for the car and in no time, we were on our way to Renji's. The ride took longer than I thought it would but I was able to make some conversation with Ichigo. He was always quiet when Rukia wasn't around but I knew how friendly he was with or without her. I asked about their relationship, asked about the seriousness of it and talked a little about his father's clinic. I just tried to talk to him about anything.

When we reached the house, Ichigo immediately opened his door and headed for the entrance. I decided that it might be best if we went too so I dragged Hisagi after Ichigo. We reached the front door and Ichigo'd already knocked. Before he could ask us what we were doing, a woman opened the door and welcomed us. Her hair was the same color as Renji's and her height was average. She didn't resemble him all that much, but it was obviously Renji's mother.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Her polite attitude surprised me. Ichigo spoke up, his tone neutral.

"I'm here to pick up Rukia."

"Oh, alright, well please come in. I can't really leave the kitchen, I've got food cooking but feel free to go get her. She's in Renji's room. Go down the hall, second room on the right." She took a step back. "I'm sorry I can't stay and talk." With that she left towards the kitchen and Hisagi and I followed as Ichigo started down the hall.

When we approached the second door, muffled voices could be heard. It sounded like they were bickering, like usual but right before Ichigo opened the door we all heard Renji's voice, loud and serious. Ichigo froze and we all leaned closer to the door to listen. His words were incoherent but whatever he said, Rukia protested quietly. She sighed and said something. I think I heard the words just friends and without any further hesitation, Ichigo opened the door. Again he froze but this time rage radiated off of him.

I looked around him and saw Renji standing over Rukia. He was closer than usual and just as they came into view, Renji pressed his lips against hers, obviously not aware of our entrance, and wrapped his arms around her small frame. After a moment of delay, she pulled away, shocked and angry.

"What the hell, Renji?" She tried to escape his grip but he didn't let go. When she got enough wiggle room, she reached up and slapped him across the face. He blinked and opened his mouth to say something but Ichigo finally reacted.

"Get off of her you asshole!" He stomped towards them and shoved Renji back, knocking him to the ground. Rukia was able to pull back before falling too and she anxiously watched Ichigo, not sure what to do. Before she could say anything to him, Ichigo dove towards Renji again and got a good punch to his face. Immediately, Renji swung back and they broke into a fists fight. Hisagi pushed past me and got a good grip on Ichigo, pulling him off.

"Knock it off! Renji, what the hell, man? He has every right to kick your ass." He pulled a struggling Ichigo further back and tightened his grip. Ichigo continued to fight Hisagi's hold and began screaming at Renji.

"I'll beat the shit out of you, you bastard! Don't ever touch her again!" He finally stopped pulling away from Hisagi but didn't turn away from Renji. In return, Renji glared back at him, just as angry.

"Screw you! She deserves better than you, you dick!" He was still on the ground when he screamed at Ichigo and his hand covered part of his face.

"Stop forcing yourself on Rukia! She obviously doesn't want to be with you! If you don't stop screwing around with her, I'll beat the shit out of you!" Rukia finally drew near Ichigo. Her hands slightly shoved at him to gain his attention.

"Ichigo, stop. Let's just leave, okay?" Her fingers clutched onto the front of his shirt. "Please, let's leave." She tugged at the cloth until he met her eyes. He calmed a little but not much, his shoulders sunk and Hisagi finally let him go. To my surprised, he didn't try to attack Renji again but he let Rukia drag him toward the door, where Mrs. Abarai stood. She looked scared and she quickly ran to Renji asking if he was okay. Before leaving Rukia turned to Renji again.

"Look, you obviously can't handle being my friend, so I don't think I can talk to you anymore. I'm sorry." Her voice was sad but she knew it was the best thing to do.

"Rukia, please, don't." Renji ignored his mother's voice and focused on Rukia standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry."

"I've already given you a chance and you blew it Renji. I'm sorry but I just...can't." She frowned down at him and left without waiting for him to speak. Renji's fist slammed against the floor angrily.

"Damn it!" His mother started to take care of his bleeding lip but he pushed her away. "Stop it, Mom." His words were icy and he looked up at us expectantly.

"Renji, we're their ride." He sighed and glared off, clearly upset. "I'm sorry, I know you really like her, but what you did was stupid. You should have listened to her the first time she told you she wasn't interested. Maybe you could've managed a friendship, but you really screwed things up." Hisagi's words were meant to be kind but I thought Renji'd just yell back at him. He didn't, he sighed and nodded.

"I know." I couldn't stand to see him so upset, Renji had really grown on me, so before I completely registered what I was doing, I took a few steps towards him. My knees bent as I knelt down in front of him and I gave him a friendly hug. He was obviously not expecting that but he gave a quiet laugh before returning the gesture.

"I'm sorry it couldn't work out, Renji." His grip slightly tightened as he squeezed me before letting me go.

"Don't worry about it. You guys should go, I'll see you tomorrow." Without another word, Hisagi grabbed my arm and led me out towards his vehicle. After stepping off the small porch, I saw Rukia leaning back against the car with Ichigo's arms around her. His head was on her shoulder as she messed with his hair. Her eyes flickered towards us but her expression stayed the same, she looked scared, like she was about to lose Ichigo.

Once we approached the car, she stood up and told Ichigo it was time to go. He straightened up also and opened the back door for Rukia. After they both slid in and everyone had their seatbelts on Hisagi started the car and headed towards Ichigo's home, with Rukia's directions. Everyone sat in silence and the only talking that occured was when Rukia told Hisagi where to turn. In the back, she sat in the middle seat and tightly held Ichigo's hand while he glared off. Once we reached his house, Rukia unbuckled and started out the door.

"Don't you want a ride to your place?" I asked her before she was out of the car. She just glanced back at me and shook her head.

"No thanks but I already called my sister and told her I was staying here tonight, but thanks." She headed after Ichigo and gave us one last wave.

"Tonight?" Hisagi questioned aloud as we pulled out of the driveway.

"Well, yeah. They definately need to talk."

"Talk? All night? I dunno," he stated, sounding amused. I rolled my eyes but couldn't keep the smile off my face.

"I really don't think so, he doesn't seem like your average guy. He probably just wants her there to be close to him so he can watch her."

"I don't know, Michiru. I mean, I'd sleep with her if I were in his position." He glanced at me, and smiled.

"Gee, that's reassuring."

"Don't get me wrong, I mean I love you and all but she's pretty-" He cut himself off after realizing what he'd just said. I stared at him in shock, my eyes wide.

"What?" His eyes stayed on the road and his head began to shake.

"No, it just-" I cut him off.

"Did you mean that? If you didn't mean it you need to tell me, okay?" He glanced over at me but quickly returned his eyes to the road.

"I...meant it."

"Oh..." I wasn't sure how I felt about it, I just knew it made me happy.

"Look, I know we only met a few weeks ago and it was totally inappropriate for me to say that but it slipped out and I won't say it again." A soft laugh escaped my throat and I felt a grin spread over my face.

"Calm down, Hisagi. You sound ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?" His tone sounded agitated and I realized that he had misunderstood.

"No, not the love part, the never say it again part. It wasn't inappropriate, not if it's how you feel." He nodded.

"It is." I reached over and grabbed his free hand.

"Then don't regret telling me how you feel." My grip tightened on his hand and he turned to me again.

"And how do you feel?" For a moment, I felt put on the spot but I decided to answer honestly, not say what I thought he wanted to hear.

"I do love you," I started and saw his stunned expresstion, "but, I love everyone." He blinked and cocked an eyebrow.

"You love everyone? What do you mean?"

"I love everyone, it's part of my religious beliefs. I'm to love everyone just like God does."

"You're religious?" His voice sounded slightly amused at my previous answer, now that it made sense.

"Yes, I guess I should have told you before."

"Well, I didn't mean it like that..." His voice was quieter than before and I tugged on his hand.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm...I'm in love with you Michiru and I know it's only been a few weeks but..." He just shrugged and let his words trail off before picking them back up. "I just do. I can't help it or control it, I fell in love with you." His words took on more volume as he explained his true meaning. As he finished speaking we pulled into his driveway, he must have forgotten about taking me home, but I decided to stay at his house. When he pulled out the keys, he turned to me and watched my face for a reaction. I just smiled up at him and after sliding my seatbelt off, I climbed over the middle seat and hugged him tightly. His arms wrapped around me but I pulled back slightly and sat up. With great effort I finally reached his mouth and planted a kiss on his lips. Before I could completely pull back, he leaned closer to me and tightened his grip on my waist. His lips found mine but this kiss was more intense. One of his hands slid up my back and rested on my neck as our mouths continued to move together.

It seemed like we sat there for minutes but before either of us took it to the next level, there was a loud beating sound coming from Hisagi's window and when I finally pulled away from him, I saw Kana leaning over peering in. She had a smile on her face but she wiggled a finger at us in disappointment. My face heated up as I pulled away from Hisagi and opened my door but he merely rolled his eyes and got out of the car. After shutting my door I stood and waited for them before heading towards the house, my face still warm. Kana walked around the car and patted my shoulder.

"Do not be swayed by my sleazy boy, make him work for everything." She laughed and led me to the door. When we entered, she told us dinner was ready. She just ignored the fact that she just caught us tangled together and acted like all was fine.

We ate dinner pretty quietly and afterwards Hisagi grabbed my hand and headed for his room. Kana noticed and gave us a warning glance. "You two behave, I trust you to make good decisions but keep the door open just in case." Hisagi laughed and shrugged.

"Yes, Mommy." He rolled his eyes and continued towards his room. Once we reached our destination, Hisagi sat down on his bed before stretching his legs out in front of him. After shifting some more he was laying down on his back but still held onto my hand. I smiled down at him and turned, pulling my legs onto the bed. He returned the gesture and tugged on my hand. Once his hand was free from mine, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled my down next to him.

At first I was unsure of how to act, I mean Kana did warn us and I didn't want to get caught doing anything, especially not while on his bed, but after a few moments I relaxed a little and rested my head against his chest. The steady beat of his heart echoed in my ears, the sound soothing, and my eyes slid shut. Hisagi's grip tightened on my waist but his other hand reached out and pushed the window open.

While eating dinner, the sky clouded over and Kana said something about it starting to rain. Now it was pouring in sheets and I didn't have to open my eyes to know that was true. The rain fell rhythmiclly and I took comfort in the sound. After a minute I heard Hisagi's quiet airsnore and when I looked up at him, he was indeed asleep. I layed my head back against his chest and closed my eyes again. It took me no time to drift off but before I fell into unconciousness, a single thought floated to the surface of my mind. _I'm falling in love with him too..._

Okay here it is! :D Hope you all enjoyed the drama that unfolded! :)


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, I'm back with chapter seven! :) Enjoy! :D Btw, this chapter begins in the ending scene of the last! :D

_Michiru's POV_

A slammed door woke me from my slumber. I felt my body jump from the noise but I wasn't fully aware of my surroundings. As I shifted around, I felt a warm body under me and opened my eyes to find Hisagi. He must have pulled me on top of him in his sleep because I was now stretched out over him, my legs laying over his while my head rested on his shoulder. One of his hands pulled away from my waist and he began rubbing at his eyes. Again there was a loud noise that came from outside his door and I instinctively cringed away from the door.

"What's going on?" My voice sounded groggy but there was no answer. When I looked down at Hisagi, his eyes were already closed again. "Get up, Hisagi-" My words were cut off when the door swung open and as I glanced up to see what the problem was, I was stunned to see my mother fuming in the doorway. "Mom, what are you doing-" Again she stopped me and stomped over, the smell of alcohol drifting in behind her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She shouted and took another step closer. Hisagi slid me over towards the wall and sat up, now alert. When I glanced over at the door I saw Kana rushing in.

"You can't just barge into my home, I told you I'd get her." She sounded angry but as she looked around the room, I noticed her eyes flicker to my face, my bruise. She started putting things together and took her place in front of the bed between my mother and her son. "Did you do that to her?" Kana's words were accusing and her stance shifted into a defensive one.

"She's none of your concern, now get out of my way. Michiru, get up, we're leaving." My mother's words were loud, too loud, and demanding. When she tried to move around Kana, she stumbled. Kana reached out and grabbed her arm to help her steady herself but she pulled away. "Don't touch me you piece of trash!" I notice Kana take a step back, surprised by her sudden outburst.

"Don't talk to her like that!" I moved around Hisagi to get a better view of my mother and glared at her. My mom's arm swung out as an attempt to hit me but Hisagi grabbed her by the wrist before she could do anything. Again she yanked away and took a step back.

"Keep your hands off of me! I'll call the police if you don't give me my daughter." Her gaze went to Kana and I noticed her fists ball up.

"Go ahead. Call the cops and see what happens. You just drove her while intoxicated and you violently swung at your daughter. I'm sure there's a better option." Kana tried to maintain a calm tone but it was difficult with my mother. She took a deep breath and continued. "Why don't you let her stay here tonight while you...sober up."

"You think I'd leave her here with your son? I don't think so. After the way she's been acting, I'd rather she sleep outside."

"And how has she been acting?"

"Like a whore." She held Kana's angry gaze, ignoring Hisagi as he glared at my mother's words. "Michiru, get up, we're leaving."

"Mom, you're-"

"Get up!" My first instinct was to get up and follow her without making it worse and I almost did. I sat up slightly on the bed but I felt Hisagi grab me arm, stopping me.

"Michiru, you can't go with her." He frowned down at me but I noticed his concern. "What if she-"

"What if I what? Hit her again? You think I'm just some drunk who has nothing better to do than beat her daughter?" Hisagi turned his attention back to my mother and gave her a cold glare.

"Yes."

"How dare you, you bastard! She deserved what she got. Why don't you mind your own business and-" He cut her off and stood as he spoke.

"She is my business! She's everyone's business now, thanks to you!" He reached out his hand and pointed to my bruise. "Because of this, everyone who sees it is obligated to help her." His words caught me off guard. I hadn't thought of it like that before and neither had my mother. She opened her mouth to speak when a quiet noise distracted her. She turned her head to look at Kana and I followed her gaze. Kana had the phone up to her ear and began speaking.

"Hello? Yes, there's a woman here who refuses to leave without her child but she's drunk. Could I please get a couple police officers over here?" A small voice on the other line spoke up and she nodded her head. "Okay, yes. Yeah, we can handle her for a few more minutes." She continued speaking, giving her name and address before ending the conversation. "Thank you, I'll be watching for them." With that she hung up the phone and looked down at my mom. "The police will be here any minute."

I felt relieved knowing the cops would handle everything but I still wasn't sure of the near future. My hand reached out and grabbed Hisagi's arm as I sat up on my knees, still occupying the bed. He turned back to me and grabbed my hand. When I glanced up at my mother, she was glaring me down, trying to intimidate me and it worked. If it weren't for the police and Hisagi, I probably would have just left to make my mother happy. I squeezed his hand and pulled closer to him.

"You could sit while we wait, Mrs. Ogawa. Would you like some coffee?" Kana spoke with a serious tone but her words sounded like my mother was over to chat. Mom peered over at her before answering.

"I'm not staying! Give me Michiru and I'll leave!"

"You are staying, until the cops are finished with you."

"Don't try to control me you worthless bitch! I'll do whatever the hell I want!" She shoved Kana angrily and raised her fist like she was going to hit her. Hisagi quickly pulled away from me and grabbed Kana's arm, pulling her out of my mother's reach. He stood between them and gazed down.

"Keep your hands off of her!" My mother's attention turned to me once he began to speak and she reached out. She got a hold of my wrist and pulled me off the bed. I wasn't expecting to be yanked off the bed but I was able to get one foot on the ground. That still didn't give me enough balance but my mom continued to drag me towards the door. I fell on my knees, scraping my leg against the floor and tried to free my wrist. Even with the majority of my weight on the ground, my mother continued to pull me towards the door, inching her way closer.

Before she could get very far, Hisagi had wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up. My mother didn't release her grip until Kana reached up and pried her fingers off of me. Hisagi started to say something but stopped when we heard a knock at the front door.

"Good, they're here. Come on." Kana looked down at my mom as she spoke. Defiantly, my mother stood there and folded her arms. Hisagi didn't give her another chance, he grabbed her upper arm and began dragging her towards the front door. One arm was still around my waist and he pulled me closer for a better grip. I wrapped my own arms around his neck to make it easier for him.

My mother began shouting as we got closer to the door and she continued to struggle but she couldn't get out of Hisagi's grip. Kana opened the door and a police officer stood before us. He cocked his eyebrow when she saw the scene before him.

"Hello, uh someone called about a disturbance?" Kana nodded and began informing the man about my mother.

"She came to my front door asking for her daughter but I could smell the alcohol on her breath so I told her I'd get her. Instead of waiting, she pushed past me and stormed off until she found her. She refuses to leave without Michiru but I didn't want to allow her to drive drunk again, especially not with her daughter in the car." The man nodded, focusing on Kana. "She's already admitted to leaving that bruise." Hisagi sat me down and Kana pointed to my face before speaking again. "She also tried to hit Michiru and myself while here." The officer's gaze shifted towards my mother and he took a step closer, entering the house. We all stepped back to give him room and he closed the door behind him.

"Now, does this happen a lot?" It took me a moment to realize that he was speaking to me. When I glanced up at him, he rose his eyebrows. "Well?"

"Sh-she get's drunk a lot. She's only been acting out like this in the last week." I grabbed Hisagi's hand and tried to step closer to him while keeping away from my mother. The man nodded again and his eyes slid to meet Hisagi's.

"You should let her go, if she gets worked up, I'll handle it." Hesitantly, Hisagi let her go, watching her carefully. She stood there, glaring up at the police officer.

"I haven't done anything, you have no reason to keep me here." Her arms were folded over her chest and she stood in a self-righteous stance that was slightly effected by her drunken state.

"According to them, you've been quite violent." The man regarded her like she was a child, he seemed to be amused by her defiance.

"It's called discipline. There's nothing wrong for punishing a child for poor behavior." Though her statement was ridiculous, her tone took on an angry and impatient inflection. The officer's expression shifted slightly as he glanced towards my face again. Before he could ask anything about my "poor behavior" Hisagi opened his mouth.

"Bull. She wasn't doing a thing. And punching isn't the equivilant of punishing." He glared down at her bitterly and I noticed his clenched jaw. Again, it was strange to see him anything but happy and rage wasn't a pretty color on him. I did appreciate his concern.

My mother turned her head and tilted it back to get a better look at Hisagi, her eyes cold. "I did no such thing, I have every right to punish her for disobeying me."

"What the hell did she do?"

"I specifically told her to stop seeing you."

"You told her-" His voice was interrupted by the police officer who held up his hands and took another step closer.

"Okay, okay, calm down. We'll get to the specifics in a minute. Let's just all take a seat and calm down a bit." The man lightly placed his hand on my arm and ushered me to the couch, but before I could sit my mother started up again.

"No! I'm not sitting, I'm not staying. I'm leaving with my daughter, now." She was speaking through her teeth and she had already made her way over to me. Before she could reach the couch, the officer stepped in front of me defensively.

"Ma'am, please calm down." Again he held up his hands and attempted to sooth her.

"She's not going to calm down, why don't you just take care of her?" Hisagi glared at the officer and his expression gave away his lack of patience. The officer sighed and quickly glanced at my mother before turning back to me.

"I guess we'll have to arrest her for public intoxication and a DUI. Once she's sober, we'll ask her about everything else, alright?" He looked between Kana and Hisagi before pulling out a pair of handcuffs. My eyes slightly widened at the sight of them. I never thought I'd see my mother arrested. After standing from the couch, I walked over to Hisagi once she was cuffed. I grabbed his hand again as we watched her being dragged out the door. She kicked and screamed, saying anything she thought would delay her arrest. Once she was put in the back of the police car, the officer approached the house again and took down an official report.

After everything was finished and the officer had left, I found myself resting on the couch, my head laying against the arm. The whole situation with my mom was exhausting and I had to force my eyes to stay open. Someone sat next to me and guessing from the lack of movement, it was Kana. Her small hand patted my arm and when I glanced over at her, she was starring off. She turned her head and met my gaze, returning it with a small smile.

"You okay, Sweety? Did you want to stay here tonight?"

"No, thank you. I should go home and tell my father what happened. He'll get nothing from my mother, nothing important." My eyes turned down towards my hands and I felt guilt for my mother's actions float to the surface of my mind. "I'm so sorry." I shook my head slightly. "I had no idea she'd...do something like this. Really, I'm sorry she just...barged in like that." While I picked at my skirt, a large hand reached down and grabbed mine.

"Don't apologize, Michiru. You're not responsible for her actions." I glanced up at Hisagi and felt his grip tighten around my hand. I sighed and leaned back against the couch as we all sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally Hisagi spoke again after sitting on the arm of the couch next to me. "Do you want me to take you home?" I glanced at the clock and was surprised to find that it was going on eight-thirty.

"Yeah." I stood but kept my grip on Hisagi's hand. He took his place next to me and pulled his car keys out of his pocket. Kana quickly got up and gave me a hug, squeezing me tightly before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful Sweety." I weakly returned the gesture and wrapped my arms around her. "Love ya." Her words surprised me, though they really shouldn't have. It was her motherly instincts kicking in but I guess I was never exposed to that sort of thing. I wasn't sure how she expected me to react but the best I could do was mumble a goodbye before heading out the door with Hisagi.

The car ride home was completely silent and devoid of conversation. Hisagi asked me a few times how I was but besides those few occasions, it was a quiet ride. Once we made it to my house, I could see a figure in the livingroom window. It was probably Mei-Mei wondering where my mother was. Before I could open the door Hisagi grabbed my arm and pulled me a little closer to him.

"You're positive you're going to be okay?" My only response was a nod. "Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"If nothing else goes wrong, then yes. Thanks for the ride." I tried to dismiss any further conversation, I was ready for bed and ready for this day to be over with. My hand gripped the door handle but again Hisagi pulled me towards him. I turned to look at him to find him frowning. "What?"

"You just...seem upset..."

"Of course I'm upset, Hisagi. That was...ridiculous."

"No, not with your mother, with me. Did I...do something?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm just tired and ready for bed. I'm not mad at you, really." I noticed his face relax slightly and his arms wrapped around me. This time I was the one to pull closer, I scooted closer to him and hugged onto his waist, resting my weight on him. My head was leaning against his shoulder and my eyes began to feel heavy. We sat there longer than I intended to and I felt myself slowly slipping out of consciousness. I was an inch away from sleep when Hisagi pulled away to look down at me.

"You okay?" I nodded again and rubbed my eyes with my fists.

"Sorry," I said as I started for the door. Again I was stopped when Hisagi lightly grabbed my upper arm. I turned to him and was about to snap at him when he lightly placed a kiss on my lips. I kissed him back and reached for the door handle again, finally opening it successfully. "Thanks again for everything." He smiled at me before answering.

"No problem, bye Michiru. Love you." His smile slightly widened and I felt a grin spread over my face.

"Love you, too."

"Yeah, yeah, little miss sunshine. Just don't forget to say your prayers tonight."

"Are you mocking me?" He laughed and shrugged before starting the car again. He reached over and kissed the top of my head again before lightly nudging me.

"You should go to bed." Finally I slid out of the car and headed towards the house. When I glanced towards the door I saw Mei-Mei waiting for me with a worried look on her face. Before starting up the stairs, I turned to the car and gave Hisagi a slight wave.

"Bye." He smiled and waved back before driving towards the gate. With that I turned back and prepared myself for another hour of talking. I was desperate for sleep but I knew Mei-Mei wouldn't let me until I filled her in. I wasn't sure what would happen or how long my mother would be gone but I was worried about my future with Hisagi. If my mother hated him as much as she stated while intoxicated, then she'd go to desperate measures to keep us apart and that worried me more than facing her.

_Hisagi's POV_

Again, I spent the morning waiting for Michiru by her locker. I had little faith that she'd show and part of me wanted her to take a day off after yesterday. She didn't need anymore stress put on her and she'd definitely get it here. Her face was still black and blue and I knew she noticed the stares we had gotten the day before. I was happy to see her when she approached her locker but disappointed that she didn't stay home to rest. Those thoughts were pushed away as soon as I saw her face. She was frowning and her eyes were all misty. When her eyes met mine, she shifted her gaze and brought her hands to her face.

"Michiru, what happened? Are you okay?" My voice was frantic and I heard fear in my words. She shook her hand and I heard a quiet sob escape her. Her shoulders began to shake and I felt a knot form in my stomach. "What? Michiru, talk to me?"

"Sh-she..." That was the only word she could choke out before she began crying again.

"What?" I grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly. Her hands wiped at her face and she slowly gained enough composure to speak.

"My mom, she got home last night and she..."

"What did she do?" My voice lowered and I took a step closer to her. "Did she hit you again?" Her head immediately shook and she took in a deep breathe.

"She came home but I was in bed. This morning she told me that she made calls last night and is having me transferred." My eyes widened as her words sunk in.

"What?"

"We're moving next week..." She wiped her eyes again and her shoulders shook. I absently wrapped my arms around her but continued to stare off, not wanting to believe it. She hugged onto my waist forcefully and we stood there as she sobbed, her face buried in my chest.

Okay, hope you enjoyed! It sort of ends on a sour note but now it can get to the next level of the story! :) Can't wait to write more! Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Back again! :D I'm excited to write these next few chapters, the story is really about to get interesting! :P Please hang in there and continue to review! :) Again, this chapter is continuing from the end of the last.

_Hisagi's POV_

My arms slid from her waist as she told me about the previous night. She continued to wipe at her eyes with the palm of her hands as she spoke, clearing her face of the tears that spilled out ot her eyes. Her voice was quiet and at one point she stopped speaking all together. She attempted to collect herself but I needed to hear what happened and willed her to continue. I grabbed her arm and slightly shook it.

"Michiru, tell me, what happened?" She took in a deep ragged breathe and looked up at me.

"I did. She told me this morning that we were moving to one of my fathers condo's in Osaka. She's already got me transferred to a large private school there. They're expecting me next week." Her hands held handfuls of my white button down shirt and she stood close, her feet resting between mine.

"Where the hell is Osaka?" I rested a hand on her head, pulling her against my chest. The other hand layed on her shoulder.

"It's south of us. It's...really far." She sighed and I could hear how tired she was. "I don't know...what we're gonna do...I don't want to move, Hisagi." I pushed some hair out of her face and looked down at her.

"I know." That was the only thing I could think to say. She began crying again and we spent the rest of our morning at her locker. We didn't budge when the five minute bell rang or when the one minute chimed. As the final bell went off indicating the beginning of first hour, Michiru pulled closer to me, refusing to move. After twenty minutes of first period had passed, I was finally able to coax her towards her classroom. Before she entered the room, I pulled her back and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Let's just...enjoy this last week before you leave and we'll figure something out, okay?" She nodded and gave me a quick hug before sheepishly creeped into the room. I turned and headed towards my own classroom, hating this day and despising Sayuri for her actions.

_Michiru's POV_

For the next seven days, I spent every possible moment with Hisagi. My mother wouldn't let me go to his house or let him anywhere near my home, so school was the only place we could see each other. After every class we'd meet at his locker and we started eating lunch without Rukia and Ichigo. Renji had stopped sitting with us after his incounter with Ichigo, so we had the lunch table to ourselves. On Friday, my last day attending Karakura High, we sat in the cafeteria together after grabbing our food. We were talking about my father's business he owned when a question popped into my head.

"Can I ask you something, Hisagi?" He smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

"Where's _your_ father?" I noticed his eyes slightly widen and I was afraid I'd said the wrong thing. "Oh...nevermind, you don't have to tell me."

"No, it's fine. That was just...not what I was expecting. My dad died when I was little." A smile was still placed on his face but I could tell this was a sensitive topic for him.

"...How?" I didn't want to push it and make him talk about something he wasn't ready for. Instead of growing serious, Hisagi's grin widened as he noticed me tip-toeing around the subject.

"Well, he was an architect and he always took me to see the buildings he designed once they were almost finished. When I was four, he took me to this old house he was renovating and was showing me the inside. We reached a room that they hadn't gotten to yet and while we were loooking around the roof started to collapse. We couldn't get out of there in time and he pulled me to the ground. He hovered over me and the room crashed on top of him. I passed out from the impact and when someone found us, my dad was dead." My eyebrows furrowed and I reached over the table to grab his hand.

"I'm so sorry..." I couldn't imagine going through something as tramautic as that. He squeezed my hand and smiled warmly at me.

"Don't be." His free hand stretched up to his face and he pointed to his tatoo. "He's the reason I got this. He had the same thing tatooed on his stomach. I'm actually surprised we didn't get to this conversation sooner, I've seen you stare at it." He laughed quietly and tightened his grip on my hand.

"I never found the right time to ask..." I felt a small smile creep up on my face.

"You thought I was just perverted didn't you?" He teased as he took a swig from his water bottle.

"Not because of your tatoo." We both laughed at my words but I quickly pushed past it to ask him more about his father. "What was you're dad's name?"

"Kensei," he stated, his laughter subsided.

"Were your parents married?" He nodded and took a bite of his food. Once it was down he elaborated.

"Yeah but my mom kept her maiden name and she gave me her last name when I was born."

We spent the rest of the day asking each other anything we could think of. We had never really took the time to get familiar with each other's past or family histories, so we had plenty of questions. At the end of the school day we met up with Rukia and made plans to stay at her house on Saturday night. My mother already told me I could go, as long as Hisagi wasn't there, and her sister already approved of it. After saying goodbye, we dispersed and headed our seperate ways. I couldn't wait for the next day, wishing it would last and not fly by too quickly. Sunday afternoon we were flying to Osaka without looking back and I couldn't be sure if I'd see Hisagi anytime soon. A horrible fear churned in my stomach all afternoon and I went to bed that night looking forward to my last few hours with the person I loved.

_Hisagi's POV_

On Saturday morning I got ready to leave and was out of the house as soon as possible. I made it to Rukia's at eleven and was greeted by an older version of the tiny girl. She introduced herself as Hisana and welcomed me warmly. She led me to the living room where I met her husband Byakuya and took my things. She led me to the guest room and sat my bag on the floor.

"I hope you won't mind sharing the bed. This is the only guest room available. The bed will be big enough, I hope." I glanced at the matress but couldn't convince myself that both Ichigo and I would fit comfortably. Before I could voice my opinion, she spoke again. "I trust there will be no hanky panky, the door will remain open and my room is right across the hall-" I cut her off, my brow furrowed in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" She smiled up at me and placed her hands on her hips, resembling her little sister more than she had before.

"I just told you, you'll be sharing the bed with Michiru. What did you think I was talking about?"

"I thought...you meant me and Ichigo."

"Oh, no, he'll stay in Rukia's room like he always does." I blinked and wondered about her parenting tactics. She laughed loudly and waved a hand at me. "I trust them, they keep the door open too and the room's right next door. Unless you'd rather share with Ichigo?" She cocked an amused eyebrow.

"No, I'm good." I smiled down at her and lightly nudged her towards the door. She let out another loud cackle and started down the hall, stopping after reaching another door.

"Let's wake up Ruk." She opened the door and led me in. I looked around the room but stopped after spotting the petite girl. She was laying on top of an unconcious Ichigo with her mouth hung open. She was snoring quietly and her hair was disheveled. Hisana took a few steps closer and began shaking them both.

"Get up you two, one of your guests are here." When there was no reaction she sighed and shook them harder. "Come on." Still they layed there and at one point Ichigo shifted to push her small hands away. Hisana turned to me with a desperate expression and tugged on my arm. I nodded and stepped closer to the bed. In one swift movement I picked up Rukia, lifting her high above Ichigo, only to let her go. She screamed as she plummeted towards the bed and once she hit Ichigo, his eyes shot wide open. Rukia groaned and sat up slowly.

"Ow, what the hell?" She glared up at me angrily and shoved me back away from the bed. Hisana lightly smacked her arm in disapproval.

"Knock it off, he's doing me a favor. You two get up and I'll make you all a late breakfast. Come on, Michiru should be here soon." Ichigo sat up and rubbed his eyes tiredly before nodding. Hisana smiled down at him and pushed some of his hair out of his face. He smiled up at her before pushing Rukia closer to the edge of the bed. They stood and stretched before following me and Hisana to the living room.

When we got there I saw Byakuya at the door, ushering Michiru in. She smiled up at him and thanked him for letting her stay. Rukia took a seat on the couch, pulling Ichigo with her and welcomed Michiru while stiffling a yawn.

"Oh, hello." She grinned down at them and glanced over at me, her smile widening. "Hi, Hisagi." I returned the gesture before greeting her.

"Hey, Michiru."

"Hello, Sweety. We were about to have a late breakfast why don't you kids go wait in the dining room while I cook." With that Rukia stood and dragged Ichigo towards the dining room with me and Michiru following a few steps behind. She smiled up at me and grabbed my hand tightly after we took our seats at the table. Ichigo sat across from Michiru while Ruk sat opposite of me. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. Her head rested on her knees and she peered at us through groggy eyes.

"Why did you two come so early? I wanted to sleep in-" Ichigo elbowed her, cutting her off. She glared up at him but her scowl subsided once she realized what he was getting at.

"Shut up Rukia, they only have one more day together." His voice was quiet and Rukia nodded before mumbling an apology.

After that we all fell into comfortable conversation. We decided what were going to do throughout the day and where we'd eat. Rukia suggested a ton of activities but we all agreed on bowling. After that we planned on seeing a movie and coming back for dinner with Hisana and Byakuya. Then Michiru told us about a fireworks display that they were having in the park. Rukia instantly agreed, telling us we were going whether we wanted to or not. Then she stated that we'd rent a few movies to fall asleep to. The day was planned by the time our breakfast was at the table. After eating, we sat in the living room and talked for a while with Rukia's sister and brother-in-law. A few hours later, we were heading out the door to start our day.

_Michiru's POV_

My last day in Karakura was amazing but tiring. First we went bowling, which turned out to be more fun than I thought it would be. Once we finished our game, we headed towards the movie theatre. They choice a horror film and I tensed at the thought. Hisagi tried to tell them about my irrational fear but I stopped him and told him it was okay. As we sat through the film, I spent the whole time clutching his hand and missed half of the plot because my hands were covering my eyes. Once the movie was over we rode back to Rukia's house and had dinner with her siblings. The meal was delicious and her sister was so kind. She was so motherly, it was like Ichigo and Rukia were really her children. As Byakuya and Ichigo cleared the table, Rukia grabbed a few blankets from a nearby closet and handed them to Hisagi.

"We'll take these to sit on. Come on Michiru, I'll get us some sweatshirts." She dragged me off to her room and started digging in her closet. She handed me a huge hoodie before pulling out two more smaller jackets. I glanced at her closet and saw some of Ichigo's clothes hanging up with hers. Again she pulled out a large hoodie before closing the sliding to the closet. She took two of the jackets from my hands and led me back to the living room. She handed Hisagi a hoodie and tossed one to Ichigo. I gave Rukia one of the light coats in my hand before slipping mine on. We all pulled on our jackets and headed towards the car.

After a few minutes we reached the park and Ichigo spread out the blankets in an empty spot. He sat with his legs crossed Indian style and Rukia sat down on his lap. Hisagi and I sat down next to each other and he put an arm around my waist. I hugged onto him and pulled closer to him. His grip tightened and the fireworks show began. The display was beautiful and colorful. The town was celebrating the anniversary of it's foundation so the show wasn't as long as the display they put on for new years but it was still amazing. It lasted for about an hour and by the time it was over, Rukia was asleep and curled up in Ichigo's lap. He stood, pulling Ruk up to his shoulder, and wrapped the blanket around her. Hisagi and I stood also after stretching and followed Ichigo to the car.

When we got to the house Ichigo put Rukia to bed and we piled up on their bed to watch a movie. He popped in a DVD and took his place next to Ruk's sleeping form. Hisagi and I sat at the end of the bed, his arms wrapped around my waist. I rested back against his chest and tried to focus on the movie. As the movie advanced I began to drift off. The film didn't interest me so after a half an hour, I let myself drift off to sleep. I sunk back, getting more comfortable, and closed my eyes. In minutes I was unconcious.

I woke up breifly when Hisagi picked me up bridal style to carry me to bed. My eyes slid open and he glanced down long enough to see that I was awake. He smiled and pulled me closer. I gave him a tired smile before lightly grabbing onto his shirt. The day was ending, I would be leaving tomorrow and I didn't know when I'd have the chance to see Hisagi again, let alone spend the day with him. When we reached the room, he sat me down carefully and covered me up. Before laying down with me, he pulled out a pair of shorts from his bag. I tiredly pulled the blanket closer and closed my eyes, giving him privacy. After a few minutes, he layed down next to me and I opened my eyes again. He noticed that I was still awake and grinned.

"Did you want to change? You're wearing jeans." I shrugged and covered my mouth with my hand to yawn. He sat up and reached for something on the floor. He handed me the t-shirt he was wearing and burried his face in his pillow. I laughed and sat up. I pulled the shirt over my clothes and slowly pulled my jeans off after slipping out of my shirt. I threw my clothes on the floor and noticed the door now open. My fists rubbed against my eyes tiredly and I layed back down, pulling close to Hisagi. He turned his head and wrapped his arms around me.

"G'night Michiru." He sighed tiredly and kissed my forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I kissed his lips and pulled closer to him. He let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, yeah."

"No, I mean it Hisagi." His eyes slid open and his eyebrows rose slightly. "I love you." His mouth opened but before he could say anything, I shook my head. "I'm in love with you." Again I placed a kiss on his lips and he kissed me back diligently. His grip tightened around me and he deepened the kiss. My arms wrapped around his neck and one of my hands found it's way to his hair. He shifted and soon his body was laying over mine, his mouth never leaving mine. I soon realized how serious the situation was getting and forced myself to pull away.

"Hisagi..." My voice was soft and his name came out in a whisper. He pulled away slightly and nodded.

"Sorry," he said as he shifted back on his side. His hand pushed some hair out of my face and again he kissed my forehead. "I'm going to miss you, Michiru, so much."

The sadness that first struck me earlier that week bubbled up in my chest and I felt tears prick at my eyes. I wiped at my eyes and willed myself not to cry. My arms wrapped around his waist again and I layed my head against his chest. I thought it would be difficult to fall back asleep but to my surprise, it came within minutes, blackness engulfing me.

_Hisagi's POV_

The next day came and went too quickly. We had to wake up early because Michiru had to be home by noon. We all ate breakfast at nine but no one spoke. Rukia and Ichigo didn't bring up Michiru's move but they didn't have to. In a few hours, she'd be gone and I had no idea if I'd ever see her again. My hate for Mrs. Ogawa burned in my chest all day long and when Mei-Mei came to pick Michiru up at eleven thirty, I felt like following them and giving that bitch a piece of my mind. Mei-Mei waited in the car and I walked Michiru out the door while Ichigo and Ruk stayed inside. Once we got outside, we said our goodbyes and I hugged onto her, not letting go for a few minutes. I had to use all the will power I could muster up to let her go and get in the car. She gave me a weak wave as Mei-Mei drove off and I watched her leave me, possibly forever.

Okay here's chapter eight! The next chapter will include a time skip! I really can't wait! Anyhoo, read and review! :)


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, back again! :) I'm über excited about this chapter! I want to remind you that this chapter is the beginning of a time jump. The amount of time will be indicated but I'd like you all to realize, it's been years and no, they haven't been able to see each other or stay contacted due to Sayuri. I didn't know how to work it into the story but there will be subtle thoughts that let you know they never forgot each other. Anyhoo, just read and find out. :)

**Three Years Later**

_Michiru's POV _

I was studying my sociology book when I heard the door downstairs slam shut. As I glanced out the window I saw _his_car sitting in front of my parents large house. My room was secluded from the other bedrooms layed out throughout the house but I knew he would find his way there, he always did. I tried to focus on my book again and push those thoughts away and was soon able to focus again. The concentration didn't last long because there was a soft knock on my door that pulled me away from my book, again.

"Come in," I said as I held back a sigh. The door swung open and I didn't have to look to see who my not-so-unexpected visitor was.

"Michiru, hey." Tadashi's voice was happy and excited. He stopped after taking a few steps in the room and when I turned to him, I saw him grinning happily at me. He was estatic ever since our engagement. I forced a smile and slightly pushed my book away.

"Hello Tadashi." He was leaning carefully against the wall, dressed in a formal looking suit. His messy brown hair looked as if he tried to take control of it for once. His hands were in his pockets but he looked nervous, like he had something to say. "I'm sort of studying, can I do anything for you?" He pushed himself off the wall and took another small step closer to my bed.

"Well, I sort of have something for you..." His voice was hushed and his anxiety was flooding his words. He took a deep breathe before continuing. "I know you're not very excited about being forced by your parents to marry me, but I thought it was appropriate to get you this." He pulled a small box out of his pocket before holding it out to me. My hand hesitantly reached out and I finally took it from him. I opened the box and found a huge diamond engagement ring. My eyes slightly widened but I tried to keep my shock off my face.

"Oh...thank you Tadashi, it's beautiful." I couldn't accept it, it'd make the engagement official. People would ask or assume and I'd have to tell them the truth. My mind instantly went back to the previous night and to the conversation I'd had with my parents after another date with Tadashi Watanabe.

*Flashback*

_As soon as we entered the house, my mother had dragged us off to the large dinning room. My father was sitting there and my mom took her place next to him at the table. They both stared us down with blank faces and told us to sit. I led Tadashi to the table, curious as to what they could possibly be up to. I noticed my mother give a slight smile but there was something unnatural about it. _

_"We have big news, Michiru." She spoke up and glanced at Tadashi quickly. _

_"What?" _

_"We've been talking for the last few months with the Watanabe's and we've made a decision." Her smile widened and she leaned forward. _

_"What kind of desicion?" _

_"We've arranged a marriage. In five months, you'll be getting married to Tadashi." My eyes widened at her words and I felt like jumping over the table to strangle her. She began filling in us in on the details while I dazed off in shock._

*End of Flashback*

I sighed quietly as I starred at the ring, not wanting to touch it, let alone don it on my finger. My eyes briefly glanced up at Tadashi's excited face before turning back to the box in my hand. I felt so bad for this guy. We had been dating for a good three months but I never felt like it was going anywhere. He, on the other hand, told me he loved me after a month of my company. I didn't have it in me to brake up with him but I knew I'd never return his feelings. My heart was still healing from the first guy I fell for.

"Michiru? Are you okay?" Tadashi's voice brought me back to the present and I forced myself to look up at him. He had a frown on his face.

"I'm fine, thank you." Still I hadn't accepted the ring and I could tell he was growing impatient. "I..." Over and over again I tried to think of an excuse to give him the ring back but my mind wasn't working. I finally just gave in and took the piece of jewelry out of the box. "Thank you, it's great." I couldn't stifle the sigh that followed as I slipped the ring on my finger. My heart sank as I did this and I realized how horrible this relationship had turned out.

"I'm glad you like it, it took me hours to find the perfect one." He grabbed the box from my hands and sat it on the bed next to me. His hand grabbed mine and I felt his lips brush against my mouth. I didn't react but he didn't stop there. His arms wrapped around me and he picked me up in an excited hug. "I'm so...eager about this." I felt his grip tighten before he sat me down on my feet. His arms stayed in place, as if he were making sure I couldn't escape, and he knelt down to kiss me again. He stayed with me for a few hours "helping" me study but had to leave to meet his father about something.

Later that night, I layed in bed for a half an hour wondering how I'd gotten here. I was being forced to marry someone I didn't love and only because his family was rich and prestigious. It was even worse that he was so into me, I felt guilty every time he grabbed my hand and looked at me like I was the greatest thing to happen to him. My mind slipped back and I found my thoughts focusing on Hisagi. After all these years, I hadn't forgotten him. I had really loved him but because of my mother, I never had the chance at a real relationship. My heart sank as I wondered what could have been with him. I never got over him and wished there was some way for me to see him again. Hopefully he was happy, happier than I was. I fell asleep that night missing him with an intensity that surprised me. It'd been a while since it'd hurt this bad and I had to hold back tears as I fell into unconsciousness.

_Hisagi's POV_

The knock on the door stole my attention from the biology book sitting in front of me. I turned to the door and shouted for whoever it was to enter. A moment later, Renji and Mina entered and I immediately noticed how big Mina was getting. With a minutes calculation, I realized that she was eight months pregnant. I smiled and gave them a small wave.

"Hey guys."

"Hi Hisagi." Mina smiled warmly at me and gave me a friendly hug.

"Hey," Renji mumbled and sat down on my couch. He stretched his legs out over my coffee table and pulled Mina next to him carefully. She hugged onto his waist tightly and smiled up at me again.

"So, I see you've been studying. What else do you have planned for break? I mean we have a whole week off, you should do something other than study and go to work. Aren't you at least going to visit your mother?" She slightly raised her eyebrows in anticipation to my answer but I merely shrugged. "Come on, Hisagi! You haven't taken a real break since you started college."

"I don't need a break, I'm good."

"No, you need to stop. You're working too hard." I laughed and shook my head.

"Aren't I supposed to be working hard? I'm just taking this seriously." She sighed and sat up, turning her body towards me before continuing.

"You're over-doing it. It's great that you're taking college seriously but you need a break from it all. You should come with us. We're going to town tomorrow to visit my parents. They have enough room if you and Ryō want to come along." Her invitation didn't surprise me but I felt my stomach drop as she added Ryō's name. Now I was obligated to invite my not-so-serious girlfriend to an over night visit to town. That did not sound fun. It sounded like a move to create a solid relationship, something I really didn't want.

"Uh...I don't know about that. I think I'll stay here." She sighed again and stared me down. She knew the main reason I turned down the offer but she continued to push, like Mina always did.

"You can't continue to date her if you never plan on getting serious, Hisagi. She really likes you but if you don't want to be with her, you should just end it. You're going to hurt her." Mina's hands were on her hips and her concern for me was shining in her eyes. She was right, I was doomed to hurt Ryō if I didn't step up or back down anytime soon. I didn't want to hurt her, she's great, but I didn't want a relationship. Before I could respond, Renji spoke up.

"Look, you haven't gotten serious with anyone since high school. Just give her a chance, if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. You're not going to fall for every person you date." His words stung but he was right too. Dating Ryō didn't mean I'd fall for her, it didn't have to work out. I sighed and fell back in my chair.

"Fine, I'll go."

"And you'll invite Ryō?" Mina's voice was hopeful and a small smile graced her lips. Again I let out a sigh and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll invite her."

Mina's smile widened and she began filling me in on our plans, telling me where we'd go, what'd we do. In the middle of her rant she reminded me that her parents lived in Osaka and the name sounded really familiar. As I pretended to listen, I dug into my memory trying to figure out where I'd heard that name before and it came to me. That was where Michiru had moved to. Michiru. My mind tended to focus on her a lot lately. She was the only person I'd ever fallen in love with and I often wondered what would have happened if I had gotten a true chance at a relationship with her. I still missed her and part of me hoped that by some coincident, I'd run into her while in town. I knew that'd never happen, I'd probably never see her again but maybe she was happy. Hopefully she was happy and not permanently scarred over the sudden end to their relationship like he was. Hopefully she wasn't alone.

_Michiru's POV_

"Rukia?" I tightened the grip on my cell phone as she picked up. Though I kept in touch with her throughout the years, it had been a while since we'd last seen each other.

"Hey, Michiru. What's up?" In the background I heard a baby crying and Ichigo trying to sooth the sad child. He said something to Rukia about getting off the phone and helping him. "I'll get off in a minute, give me some time." Her tone was harsh but I knew it was nothing more than the stress of having a six-month old baby. "Sorry, you were saying."

"Oh, I'll make it quick so you can get off and help Ichigo." I tried to speak quickly and get straight to the point. "I really need to get out of this house and I wanted to talk to you two so is there any way you can meet me at the coffee shop tomorrow? You could always bring Saki over here and let Mei-Mei watch her." My offer of a free baby sitter was the only bribe I could really offer, besides paying for their drinks.

"I'm sorry, Michiru. Saki has a doctors appointment and Ichigo's dad needs his help moving some furniture afterwards. What about..." She asked Ichigo about a day they were free and once answered she picked up her sentence. "Is Friday okay?"

"Yeah, I can wait. Mei-Mei will still watch Saki, if you want. I asked if she minded and she said she'd be happy to do it."

"Okay, that would be great. Well, I have to go. I'll see you then. How about we drop Saki off at one and pick you up then? Sound good?" Her words were filled with excitement but I could hear her fatigue. I agreed and disconnected, ecstatic about my plans that didn't include being home or being with Tadashi.

_Hisagi's POV_

The four of us sat quietly in Mina's car as Renji drove towards our destination. It was a perfect Friday afternoon for a quiet lunch and after finally making it to Mina's parent's house, it was exactly what I needed. Ryō was clutching my hand tightly and every few minutes she'd smile over at me happily. She loved the idea of us going away together, even if it included Mina and Renji. She took it the way I expected her to, she saw it as a step up in our relationship. It was official to her that I was her boyfriend and it sort of freaked me out. I didn't want this but I had no reason to not give her a chance.

Renji quickly parked next to this older car that looked oddly familiar. We all piled out and Ryō immediately huddled to my side, grabbing me hand again. I absently squeezed her hand and followed Mina into the coffee shop they'd chosen. As we approached the counter, I saw an orange blur in my peripheral vision and turned my head to see what it was. To my surprise, I saw Ichigo Kurosaki sitting in a booth with Rukia at his side. I nudged Renji and discreetly pointed in their direction. His eyes widened and he froze, I forgot about his past feelings for Rukia and didn't expect this sort of reaction. Well that explained the familiar car, it was the same one Ichigo rarely drove off the high school campus in.

There was another person at the table, she was sitting with her back to us and I was pretty sure I didn't know her. As I racked my brain trying to place a name with the back of the girl's head, I saw Ichigo's eyes flicker to mine and he gave me a small smile before pointing in my direction for Rukia to see. She immediately got up and ran over to us but she didn't seem to notice Renji. She hugged me enthusiastically and began peppering me with questions.

"Hisagi! It's been so long. How are you? Do you live here now?" Ichigo had followed her a little less enthusiastically and took his spot next to her.

"I'm good, you two...you're still together. Wow. Good for you." I smiled though it was a real shock to see a wedding rings on their fingers.

"Hell yeah. You think I'd give him the chance to leave me?" She laughed and grabbed Ichigo's hand, smiling up at him teasingly. I grinned, missing her more than I ever thought I would. I glanced back at the table and noticed the girl turn in her seat. My eyes widened, very similar to the way Renji's did, and I stopped listening to Rukia. Michiru starred back at me, just as surprised as I was. Her hair now reached her shoulder's but her face was exactly the same. I continued to stare at her in disbelief with her name stuck in the back of my throat. _This can't be happening._

Okay, here's chapter nine. I started it last night and quickly finished it today so I'll probably be updating twice today! I'm so excited for this time jump! :) Hope you liked it!


	10. Chapter 10

Back again with another chapter! :D Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of the time jump. I really hope it made sense, if it's written weird please let me know. This is continuing from the end of chapter nine! :) Okay enjoy!

_Michiru's POV_

As I turned in my seat, I expected to see some random couple that Ichigo and Rukia had met since getting married. They were quite the popular couple themselves and when I glanced back at them, I was stunned to see him. Hisagi. He stood there with some girl dangling from his arm, she looked a little familiar, and an awed Renji next to him. Our gazes locked for a long while and I wondered if he missed me as much as I missed him. It killed me to see he was with someone else but he seemed happy and that's exactly what I wanted. Besides, our relationship ended years ago, he was entitled to date whoever he wanted.

Finally I turned away to glance at Renji before getting up to join them. As I walked up to the group, I felt Hisagi's eyes on me but tried to ignore them. I took a deep steadying breathe and gave them a warm smile.

"Hi." It was all I could manage and when I glanced at the girl at Hisagi's side, I saw her glare at me. I tried to ignore it and have a pleasant conversation. I thought Renji would speak because I spoke to him directly but he continued to stare at Rukia who didn't seem to notice who he was.

"Hey." Hisagi's single-word response was quiet and airy. I risked a glance at him and realized he hadn't taken his eyes off me. I opened my mouth to say something but Ichigo interrupted.

"Hey, what the hell's your problem?" His words were directed at Renji and Rukia finally glanced up at him, her eyes taking on a expression of disbelief.

"Renji! I didn't even notice you there." She smiled up at him happily and he finally blinked before returning the gesture.

"Hey, Rukia."

"You know him?" Ichigo caught us all off guard, how didn't he remember Renji? Rukia answered him while she rolled her eyes.

"So do you, idiot. Renji Abarai. He went to school with us." Ichigo's eyebrow cocked slightly and he gave his wife a confused look. She sighed and continued. "Remember our sophomore year? You hated him because he liked me." His face slowly took on an expression of understanding that was quickly replaced with anger.

"Oh." Rukia laughed and nudged him.

"Calm down, that was years ago." She rolled her eyes once she turned away from Ichigo and gave me a frustrated glance. She was always sick of Ichigo's constant overprotective attitude and frequently let me know. Again I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by the person standing behind the counter.

"Are you going to order or what?" Hisagi's head turned and he nodded. Another woman, a very pregnant woman, spoke up after getting my attention.

"How about we meet you guys at your booth? We'll be there in a few minutes." I blinked at her words and it took me a while to speak.

"Oh, okay." I glanced at Rukia, who nodded, and followed her and Ichigo back to the table. As we sat down I noticed Ichigo let Ruk slide in next to the wall before taking the only open space next to her. He was sitting closer than before but she didn't want to make him more mad by telling him to give her room. She bit her tongue and took a bite of the pastry she'd ordered with her coffee. I sat across from her and took a sip of my coffee.

A few minutes later, we were joined by Renji, Hisagi, and their girlfriends. Renji slid in next to me after glancing at Hisagi and carefully pulled the pregnant woman down next to him. The other woman sat next to Ichigo before dragging Hisagi down next to her. She still had an unpleasant look on her face which she directed at me. At first everyone was silent but luckily we had Rukia there to open her mouth.

"So, what are you guys doing in town? Do you live here?" She glanced between Hisagi and Renji but the girl on the other side of Renji was the one to answer.

"No, we're here visiting my parents. Well, Hisagi just needed a break but we're all staying in my parents' house." She gave Rukia a friendly smile and it was obvious that Ruk's earlier comment about Renji liking her didn't phase her.

"Oh, who're you?" One of Rukia's tiny hands reached down and pulled her legs up on the seat as she smiled at the pregnant woman.

"I'm Mina Aburamai. I'm Renji's fiancé." Her smile grew into a full fledged grin and she lightly grabbed Renji's hand. He smiled down at her and rested his other arm across the back of the booth. Rukia raised her eyebrows and her smile grew more sincere.

"That's great. I'm surprised someone as nice and soft spoken as you tamed Renji." She let out a loud laugh, a classic Rukia cackle and absently leaned closer to Ichigo. Mina laughed softly and shrugged.

"It wasn't as hard as it seemed. He must have fallen for my sweet innocent charm."

"I wouldn't call it innocent, Miss No-Sex-Before-Marriage. Look how that turned out." The girl at Hisagi's side finally spoke, her gaze on Mina. Her face now held an amused smile.

"Hey, he's very persuasive." Mina chuckled quietly as her hand found it's way to her stomach.

Rukia leaned forward and glanced around Ichigo and Hisagi to see the unknown woman. "Who are you?" Her words were friendly but informal. That was just how she spoke but the girl obviously thought of it as rude. She gave Rukia a stern look before stating her name.

"Ryō Kunieda, Hisagi's girlfriend." Her eyes flickered to me but quickly returned to Rukia. She obviously thought her tough tone would cause Ruk to back off but I noticed my friend's face fall slightly before she glared back at the slender woman who still had a hold of Hisagi's hand.

"Excuse me, bitch. No reason to have an attitude." Rukia's words were gruff and angry, she didn't appreciate the girls tone. She definitely didn't appreciate her cold glare that returned her own words. "Don't give me that look, you're the one being rude."

"You call me a bitch and I'm rude?"

"Yes. Calling you a bitch makes me honest, not rude. _Acting _like a bitch makes you rude, get it?" Ryō opened her mouth to talk but Hisagi cut her off by pulling his hand away.

"Will you knock it off?" He gave her a frustrated look, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Me? What the hell did I do?"

"Rukia's right, you're being rude. You had no reason to talk to her like that." The girl glared at him before standing, her fists balled up. He stood also and I thought he'd leave with her but he merely took a step back and let her get out. Her eyes widened at his actions and she stomped off, taking her coffee with her. Hisagi sat back down and sighed.

"Sorry about her." Rukia told him it was fine and Mina reached across the table to pat his hand. He gave her a small forced smile before the conversation continued. Mina looked up at Rukia and grinned.

"So, who're you?" Her smile grew warm.

"I'm Rukia and this is Ichigo. She's Michiru," she said as she gestured towards me. Mina looked around Renji and greeted me.

"Are you two married?" Her voice was addressed to Ichigo and Rukia again.

"Yup." Rukia answered shortly.

"Do you have any children?"

"Yup," she answered again before continuing. "We have a daughter, she's three-months old." Mina's face brightened at the mention of babies.

"Do you have any advice? I mean I'm doing the prenatal stuff I should be, but what about after it's born?" Rukia shrugged before answering.

"Just get ready to never sleep. Ever." She belted out another laugh and Hisagi glanced around Ichigo to see her.

"You really had a kid?" She turned to face him and nodded.

"I'm a beast, it was a breeze." Everyone at the table laughed, though Ichigo's was less enthused. He rolled his eyes before laying an arm around her shoulders. Mina sat up and turned to me again.

"What about you? Are you married?" I shook my head, responding without words. "Are you dating anyone?" This time I had to speak, I had to explain my horrible situation with Tadashi.

"Sort of," I started and Mina laughed softly at my words. Her face grew serious once she realized that I wasn't amused.

"Oh?"

"I started seeing this guy a few months ago and..." I glanced down at my hands, hating the view of that ridiculous large diamond ring. "My parents arranged a marriage. I'm getting married in a few months." I made it clear that this was not good news, I forced it into my tone.

"They what?" Rukia's voice caught my attention and my head turned towards her.

"But...aren't you over the age of eighteen?" Mina spoke up again, concern seeping in her words. I shook my head after swiveling my gaze to her.

"I will be in six months which is a month too late." I quickly glanced around the table, hating the attention I was getting. They probably thought I was pathetic, I didn't even fight my parents on it. Once again I let my mother run my life because I was too scared to defy her. Hisagi was a perfect example of that. My eyes flickered to him briefly and I felt my chest tighten. My feelings for him sprang to life the minute I saw him but he obviously moved on. Everyone starred at me without speaking. I looked around at them all and sighed.

"Will you all stop?" In the corner of my eye I saw Rukia turn to look up at Ichigo. He tipped his head and furrowed his brow. His gaze went back to me and he spoke.

"Michiru, why don't you..." He struggled for the right words but everyone else at the table spoke in unison.

"Do something about it?" They offered the appropriate phrase. Again I sighed and shook my head.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it." My gaze dropped and I found myself starring into my cup of coffee. A large hand reached out and touched my arm. When I glanced up I saw Hisagi's concerned eyes piercing me but Ichigo's the one who continued to talk.

"We're sorry, we're just...worried about you. You've done everything that woman's told you to do since..." Once again, he cut himself off but this time he didn't want to finish his sentence. Hisagi's hand stiffened slightly and after a moment he pulled away. I pulled back also, resting my hands in my lap where they balled up into fists. I stood and grabbed my light coat.

"I have to go," I stated, not looking directly at anyone. I picked up my oversized purse and waited for Renji and Mina to move. Instead of sliding out after Mina, Renji turned to me and grabbed my arm.

"Michiru, don't leave." I tried to pull away but he wouldn't let go, his grip tightening slightly. "When's the next time we're going to get to see you?" My eyebrows were turned down in the best glare I could muster up and I continued trying to pull my arm free.

"I don't care." The harsh words were a lie, I was lashing out in anger. I missed Renji, it was great to see him and even better to see Hisagi. Renji frowned back at me and I had to fight to keep the glare on my face. "Move, Renji." He squeezed my arm.

"Please stay Michiru." I was so close to giving in and staying but I knew I had to leave, had to get out of here. They'd push me into fighting my mom over the whole arranged marriage and I wasn't sure I could do that. I opened my mouth to tell him to get out of my way but Rukia interrupted me.

"Let her leave, Renji. We'll all have lunch somtime while you guys are in town. Just let her go." Her gaze shifted between me and Renji, a concerned glaze to her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, his fingers released my arm and he slid out of the seat. I quietly thanked him and coasted out after him. My gaze turned to Mina.

"It was nice meeting you and..." My mind went blank as I tried to remember Hisagi's girlfriend's name.

"Ryō." Mina answered with a warm smile. I nodded and took another step back. My head turned to Renji and Hisagi.

"It was good to see you two again." With that I turned and headed toward the exit. As I opened the door I saw Ryō steaming in the car, her gaze falling on me. She glared, her gesture icy. As much as I wanted to return her cold expression, I forced a smile and waved in a friendly manner. I really couldn't blame her for acting so possessive, she was really lucky to be with Hisagi. As I took another step farther from the vehicle, I felt a large hand grab my arm, stopping me. When I turned to see who it was, I was surprised to see Hisagi standing in front of me. His forehead was creased with concern.

"Hey, are you going to be okay? You look really upset." His hand was warm on my arm and I could feel Ryō's eyes on us. Hisagi didn't seem to notice and if he did, he didn't care. His eyes didn't leave my face and the worry in his face didn't fade.

"I'm just..." My head shook slightly and tears stung my eyes. "I'm handling it, thanks." After a moment, he pushed past the subject.

"It's...really good to see you." His hand slid down to my wrist and my stomach fluttered. "I've missed you, Michiru." A small grin spread on his face and he put a little less distance between us. As much as I wanted to step even closer, I forced myself to pull back and look up at him.

"I missed you too, Hisagi." His face fell and he nodded before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I really have to go..."

"Can we have lunch or something?"

"Do you think Ryō would like that?" Again he smiled, amused.

"I don't really care." I couldn't stop the grin from creeping up on my face.

"You're with her, Hisagi, you better care." My feet pulled me back another step but he strided forward, canceling out my actions.

"Can we?"

I thought about it, thought about how much my mother would hate me seeing him again. I realized that if Tadashi saw me with Hisagi, he might get the wrong impression and get angry. The fact that I wanted to go was enough reason to say yes, the other two were just pluses. _I guess that's my answer._

"Sure, when?" The smile on his face grew and he thought about it.

"Well, I can't be sure when I'll be free, Mina has a lot of stuff planned. If you give me your number I can call and let you know when I'm free. Would that be okay?" I couldn't contain my laughter but I was already reaching in my bag for a pen. "What?"

"Smooth, Hisagi."

"Thank you, I'm glad you noticed." Once I found a working pen, I grabbed his wrist and began writing my number down on the palm of his hand. After a few numbers were scrawled down, I felt him pull his hand away slightly.

"What?"

"Knowing me, I'll wash it off. You're safer with paper." Another laugh escaped my lips and I pulled out a scrap piece of paper from my bag, ripping a small shred off. Once my number was on it I held it out to him.

"There, happy?"

"Definitely." He pocketed the piece of paper and took another small step closer to me. Before I could react, I felt his arms wrap around me tightly and my eyes shot wide open. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach but I wouldn't let myself hug him back. He didn't pull away and for the briefest moment I rested my head on his chest. Again I felt Ryō's gaze on us and drew back from Hisagi's grip.

"Well, I'll see you, Hisagi." I smiled before turning away, heading for home. My chest tightened and I knew my feelings for him had never gone away, they were merely pushed aside. He seemed to be exactly the same but people change. As much as I wanted to pick things up with him, there were still obstacle's in my way. He had a girlfriend, I had a fiancé and a crazy mother who'd do anything to keep me from Hisagi.

_You're crazy, he's not interested in you anymore. He has his precious Ryō, he didn't need you making things complicated. Just be happy to see him and have a friendly lunch. He's over you, get over him._

Okay, sucky ending but I hope you enjoyed regardless! :) Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

Okay, I'm finally back with another chapter! :D Sorry for the wait but I've been really busy! Anyway, here's chapter eleven! :D

_Hisagi's POV_

As I started placing some of my unpacked clothes in the dresser drawers, I continued to tune out Ryō. As soon as we stepped into our room she started screaming at me about our relationship and my behavior with _that girl_. I didn't respond to most of her questions but as much as I tried to ignore her, I felt my anger rising. My hands reached out to open a drawer but she pushed my arm back and stepped in front of me.

"Listen to me, Hisagi!" She narrowed her eyes and glued her hands to her hips. "I thought you really cared about me. You're the one who invited me here, remember that?" A sigh escaped my mouth and her eyebrows turned down in a frustrated glare. I knew that if I wanted to salvage this "relationship" I'd have to reassure her that Michiru was just an old friend but did I really want that? I didn't have time to make a choice, she was getting impatient so I finally joined in the conversation.

"Look, I know. Just calm down, she's a friend, okay?"

"No, it's not okay! She's not a friend, that's pretty obvious. I don't want you to see her, Hisagi."

"What? Are you kidding me?" I couldn't believe her ridiculous demand but my mind was made up. "I'm going and if you can't handle that then you should just leave." Ryō's jaw dropped and her expression shifted.

"I don't want to leave, Hisagi. I really like you but if you're not serious about me then I will leave." Her eyes grew moist and she looked honestly upset. I couldn't help feeling guilty, I was supposed to be giving her a chance and I was really screwing it up.

"I don't want you to leave either. I just need you to trust me, this lunch means a lot to me. I'm going, okay? Just stop spazzing out." As I spoke the last words, she launched forward and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist.

"I'm sorry, I just...don't like that girl." After holding back another sigh, I hugged her back and leaned my weight back against the wall. I had a thousand things to say in response to that but decided to keep my mouth shut.

When she finally let me go and left to talk with Mina, I was able to get the rest of my clothes put away. Afterwards I got dressed for dinner and my mind began wandering off to thoughts of Michiru. I wasn't sure what I was going to do about her or what I could do about her. I still loved her, I wasn't going to deny it, but she was getting married. Besides, she probably didn't care about me anymore. _Just focus on Ryō, you can still be friends with Michiru._ I sighed at my own thoughts, that wasn't what I wanted but I had no other choice.

_Michiru's POV_

After the long walk home, I layed down in my bed and took an hour long nap. When I woke up, I found Tadashi sitting by the window reading a book. He turned his head to me as soon as I sat up and I had to hold back a sigh. His face lit up and he made his way closer to my bed but not sitting. He pushed some hair out of my face before speaking.

"Have a nice nap?" I simply nodded in response and he continued. "Why were you so tired? I mean you never sleep in the middle of the day."

"I went into town with Ichigo and Rukia and ended up walking home." I rubbed my eyes tiredly with my fist and stared out the window.

"Why's that?" His voice took on a concerned tone.

"I was ready to leave without them, so I walked home."

"You could've called me, I would've picked you up."

"It's fine, Tadashi. It didn't kill me to get some excercise but thanks." He nodded and his hand rested against the side of my head.

"Alright." He smiled down at me and I felt my throat tighten with guilt. Why did he have to care about me so much? "So how was your day?"

"It was fine. I just went out for coffee with Ichigo and Rukia." I grabbed his wrist and slightly pulled his hand away. His fingers slid between mine and I had to force myself not to pull away. "Tadashi, why don't you sit down." He immediately shook his head.

"No, I'm fine." I couldn't help but sigh. He frowned slightly before speaking. "I'm sorry, I just wouldn't feel comfortable sitting on your bed."

"Well, you don't need to stand."

"Let's go sit by the window." A smile creeped up on his face and he tugged on my arm, pulling me from the bed. He carefully pulled me over to the window and I took a seat on the built in bench. He sat down next to me with practically no distance between us. His arm rested around my shoulders and he pulled me closer.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you that sometime this week I'm going to be having lunch with an old friend from highschool. I'm not sure when but I might not be able to make lunch with you on Friday if that's the only day he can do it." I tilted my head towards him and saw his face eyebrows furrow.

"Okay, where are you going?"

"I don't know."

"When?"

"I told you Tadashi, we're not sure. He's only here for a week and he doesn't know when he'll have the time. He's going to call me sometime and let me know." His arm tensed around me slightly but he merely nodded without asking anymore questions. In the silence, I felt fatigue spread through my body and my eyes slid shut.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just tired." I felt his head rest against mine before he nodded. We sat there in silence and in no time I was asleep, trying to escape poor Tadashi.

_Hisgai's POV_

While laying in bed, I continued to pull out the sheet of paper containing Michiru's phone number. Ryō was laying next to me, sleeping, and I knew if I called I'd wake her up which was something I really didn't want to do. I decided that the number had to be her cell phone and tried texting the number after pulling my phone out of my pocket.

_**Hey, Michiru, I asked Mina about our schedule. Friday seems to be the best time. Are we still on?**_

After hitting send, I had nothing to do but wait. After ten minutes went by, I was possitive she wasn't going to answer. I sat my phone on the bedside table and stared at the ceiling, trying to focus on something besides Michiru. Ryō shifted next to me and grabbed my arm, she mumbled something in her sleep and I decided to go to bed. Michiru wasn't going to text me back, I'd have to wait to to talk to her later. As soon as I reached over to turn off the lamp, my phone went off, vibrating on the side table. I picked it up and saw her familiar number pop up on the screen. I couldn't help but smile as I opened the message.

_Michiru's POV_

As soon as Tadashi picked me up to lay me in bed, I stirred. My eyes slid open slightly but I felt myself begin to slip back into unconciousness. Tadashi's hands pulled the blanket out from under me before covering me up. He pusehd my hair away from my face again and kissed me on the forehead. As he made his way to the door, a familiar ring sounded from the opposite corner of the room. My phone was going off in my purse causing me to sit up.

"I'll get it." Tadashi smiled over at me and grabbed my bag. He dug through it quickly and pulled out my cell phone. Instead of answering, he handed it over. "It's a text message."

"Oh, thanks." Before opening it, I rubbed my eyes tiredly. Finally I opened the message and realized it was from Hisagi. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I read. My thumbs went to work replying but I noticed Tadashi watching me suspiciouslly. I glanced up at him and decided to explain. "Hisagi can only make it Friday, so we'll have to reschedule our lunch." He nodded and leaned back against the wall as I attempted to finish my message.

"Why don't I just go with you, Michiru? That way we don't have to cancel our lunch." That got my attention.

"We'll just reschedule, okay?" I tried to sound patient but it wasn't easy. His face fell slightly but I continued speaking before he could say anything. "He's just a really good friend, there's no need for you to go."

"Oh, okay. So where are you going?"

"I don't know, I haven't answered him yet." My attention turned back to the phone and I finished my response.

_Hi, Sagi! :) Friday's good, where'd you wanna go?_

"There, I just asked him. Happy?" I smiled up at him and got a grin back in return. He nodded slightly. "Don't you have dinner with your dad and a few of his business partners tonight? You better be going, don't want to be late. I'll find out everything about Friday and we'll reschedule our lunch, 'kay?"

"Alright, bye Michiru." He walked up to the bed again and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. "Love you." My chest tightened but I forced myself to respond.

"Bye, Tadashi." After another kiss to my lips he grabbed his book he had been reading and left. As soon as the door closed, my phone went off again. I immediately changed my cell to vibrate and opened the text.

_**Sagi? God, I can't believe you remember that. You can choose, you'd know what's good.**_

I felt the grin on my face widen and I began thinking over my options. I wasn't sure where to go or what kind of food he'd rather have. After deciding on a restuarant, my thumbs began running over the key board of my phone.

_Ha! How could I forget? Well, there's a really nice place a few streets over from the coffee shop we were at today. Sound good?_

After sending the message I layed back in bed and pulled the blanket closer. I firmly held my phone in my hand, waiting for the next message. As I waited, I glanced around the room noticing how empty it was as the walls reflected a dark purple glow on the floor. The sun was lowering in the sky and its last lights were filling my room, clashing with the violet color. The phone vibrated again and I picked the phone up.

_**Sounds great. Is 2:30 okay?**_

My smile widened as I answered. I felt my old feelings bubbling to the surface, butterflies danced around in my stomach. My feelings for Hisagi never left, I was still in love with him and that scared me to no end.

_Yup, it's fine. :D_

His response came almost immediately.

_**Good, I'll see you there. I'm really glad you didn't reject me. :]**_

My chest tightened again and I hesitated before answering. As much as I wanted to just spend a great lunch with Hisagi, I knew that I had to keep my feelings for him hidden. He was with Ryō, he was in a serious relationship. This was just a lunch between friends and I had to realize that.

_Why would I? I'd have lunch with anyone over my fiancé._

Again his answering text came in less than a minute.

_**You sound so excited to be getting married. Haha.**_

I felt resentment and anger float to the surface of my mind. Those feelings have definitely grown stronger while being contained for the last few days.

_You have no idea. I feel really bad for this guy but he might as well be my annoying brother. :(_

My eyes drifted to the door and I noticed the lighter atmosphere of my room now that Tadashi was gone.

_**Ouch. Does he know that you feel that way? **_

My thumbs went to work anwering the text message.

_Nope, he's clueless. You'd think he would catch on but he doesn't. Well, I've gotta get some sleep. Good night Hisagi. :)_

After a few minutes he finally texted me back, which I read immediately.

_**Alright, I'll see you Friday. G'night, try not to dream about me. :]**_

I hadn't planned on answering but I couldn't resist.

_I'll try, I just don't know if I'll ever be able to stop it from happening. Have I ever told you that you're really cocky?_

In my mind, I could just hear his laughter and felt a warm sensation spread over my face. I don't think I ever missed him more than I did at that moment.

_**No but that is one of my better traits. You know it's why you fell for me way back when. Now get some sleep Ogawa.**_

That warm feeling spread from my face throughout my entire body and as I layed my phone on the night table. I pulled the blanket closer and felt a comforting breeze from the open window. The soft sound of a wind chime outside my window lulled me to sleep while my thoughts stayed on Hisagi and that warm sensation settled in for the night, resting in my chest.

_Hisagi's POV_

I woke up Friday morning excited and nervous for my lunch with Michiru. When I sat up in bed, Ryō turned to me and grinned. Her hair was straight and sleek looking. She hardly looked like she just woke up, the only indication of sleep was the slightly smeared make up she was wearing.

"Morning, Hisa." She started calling me by that ridiculous nickname after our arguement over Michiru. "Sleep well?"

"Yup." I rubbed my eyes tiredly and stretched my arms out over my head.

"Good," she said as she planted a kiss on my cheek. I stood and turned towards her. My hand stretched out and I ruffled her hair.

"Do you always wake up looking ready for the day?" A smile spread over my face as I spoke. She laughed and her hand absently went to her hair.

"Are you kidding me, I always wake up loooking like a mess. My hair's so flat and greasy and my makeup is probably all over my face."

"It really isn't. You look great for just waking up." Her smile widened and she reached for my hand.

"Why, thank you." I gave her hand a slight squeeze and pulled away. It was already going on one, we'd slept in extra late, so I had to start getting ready. I headed off to take a shower and grabbed everything I would need. My shower took a few minutes and after dressed I headed to the kitchen to get some coffee.

After getting a quick cup of coffe, I grabbed the keys to Mina's car and headed towards the door. Ryō caught up with me at the door and gave me one last departing hug. I was ready for a lecture and sure enough, I got a shortened version of our arguement.

"Look, I trust you, I really do. I just don't want you to go have lunch with this girl and forget me." I sighed and pulled away from her. She glared up at me and put her hands on her hips. "I'm serious, Mina told me that you two were really into each other in high school but you have to realize that she's getting married and you're dating me. Okay?"

"Yeah, I get it. Goodbye." Without giving her the chance to say anything else, I opened the door and bounded towards the car. Michiru had given me the name of the restuarant earlier and the address. I knew where I was going and headed out of the driveway towards my destination. After a fifteen minute drive, I was pulling into the parking lot. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I saw Michiru locking a car door. She turned towards the building and her eyes instantly flashed towards me. She smiled and made her way over in front of me.

"Hey," she said as she beamed up at me. I thought being able to communicate with her was great but seeing her again in person was so much better.

"Hi." We headed into the restaurant and I took the chance to look her over. She was wearing a medium length skirt covered in blue floral designs. Over that she donned a blue dress shirt and around her neck hung a long chained necklace with a metal key reaching her stomach. When we reached a table, I pulled out her chair before taking my own. She smiled and thanked me before scooting closer to the table. She sat a menu in front of herself and flipped it open, her eyes skimming over the choices. After a minute, her gaze returned to me, her mind made up. Her smile widened before she spoke.

"Aren't you going to look at your menu?" Her eyebrows rose slightly, her face amused.

"Uh, yeah." I smiled back at her before reaching over and placing a finger on a random item on the menu. "I'll have that." She laughed and looked down at my choice.

"A small bowl of rice?" My head nodded as she slightly pushed my hand away. "No you're not, that'll never fill you up. Pick something else." She still had a grin on her face but her words were serious.

"Wow, you got bossy." She laughed as I glanced over the menu, quickly choosing my food. "There, I'll be having some miso soup, happy?"

"Yup." She continued to smile before glancing down at the table. Her hands were fiddling with the table cloth.

"So, how did your fiancé react when he found out you were having lunch with me?" Her eyes slid back to mine before she spoke.

"He quietly freaked out. He didn't really say anything but I could tell he was paranoid about it. He's been asking me all week where we were going, what time, when I'd be home. It was pretty annoying." Now her face was neutral, her mouth set in a straight line. I couldn't keep my eyebrows from furrowing.

"You're really unhappy." My statement must have caught her of guard because her eyes widened slightly. She nodded and I thought she wasn't going to say anthing in response. After a moment of silence her mouth opened.

"Yeah, pretty much." More concern flooded my face and I noticed the corners of her mouth raise slightly. "I'm fine, Hisagi."

"Being unhappy is not fine." The sharpness in my tone shocked me. Michiru stared up at me, speechless. She simply shrugged and turned her gaze to the window on our right. Without really thinking it through, I reached over and grabbed her hand. Her eyes again widened but she didn't pull away. She turned back to glance up at me before slighlty squeezing my hand. "Have you tried to figure a way out of this?"

"Of course I have, I can't just say no. They've filled out forms and because I'm not eighteen, I can't back out." She shook her head before continuing. "Can we please talk about something else." A quiet sigh escaped my mouth and I nodded.

"Yeah, of course, but I really want to come back to that." She laughed quietly.

"Fine." The waiter came up to our table and took our orders. They brought us tea and left for our food. Michiru turned back to me and gave me a small grin. "So, how'd you meet Ryō?"

"She went to our high school." Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Really?" I nodded and conitnued.

"Yeah, she ended up in one of my college classes and one day she asked me to lunch, so..." I trailed off, shrugging dismissively.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Only like a little over a week."

"That's all?"

"Yup, this is the first 'serious' thing we've done together. It's probably the first 'serious' thing I've done since high school." I laughed at my own words but she didn't look amused.

"What do you mean?" A smile spread over my face.

"That I haven't really had a serious relationship since you left." Her eyebrows rose in shock.

"What? Are you kidding? Why not?" Again a laugh bubbled up from my throat.

"Because, I didn't want to. I've always really cared about you." Her hand stiffened in mine as I spoke and she was silent. After a short lull in conversation, she spoke.

"That doesn't mean you can't have serious relationships." My shoulders shrugged as a response.

"Maybe I don't want a serious relationship with anyone else." Her hand started slipping out of mine but I slightly tightened my grip. "I'm not implying that we pick up on our relationship, I know you're probably over that, I'm just telling you how I feel." My thumb grazed her ring and my eyes darted down to her hand. "Damn, that's _huge_." She grimaced as she glanced at the enormous piece of jewelry.

"Yeah, I know." She turned her eyes back to mine. "Hisagi...I-"

"Wait," I cut her off, my gaze shifted to some man who was watching us from a nearby table. "I think someone's...listening to us." Her eyes followed mine and she quickly glanced at the man, her eyebrows furrowed angrily and she turned back to me.

"That's my fiancé." My eyes widened and I felt my hand stiffened around hers.

"What?" As I spoke the man stood and started to approach us. _Crap._

_Tadashi's POV_

As soon as I approached their table, Michiru's _friend_ let go of her hand. My face heated up in anger. I felt my fists clench involuntarily and saw Michiru's cold glare. I wasn't sure why she was mad but the guy sitting across from her looked at her with a concerned gaze, as if she had any right to be angry with me.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" As I spoke, the waiter approached bringing food. Michiru's eyes breifly went to the food before turning back to me.

"We were having lunch, what are _you_ doing? Why are you here?"

"I was-" She cut me off abruptly.

"Following me?" Her words were accusing and her voice was sharper than I'd heard it before. Was she really turning this on me?

"Yes and I'm glad I did." I was talking through my teeth, my anger slowly rising. I glared down the tall man sitting across from her. "I don't know what she told you but she's engaged so back off."

The guy held his hands up defensively and nodded. "I know, I get it..." He glanced at Michiru before turning back to me.

"Michiru, get up, we're leaving." I tightly grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Ow, Tadashi, let me go." She tried to pull away from me but my grip only tightened. It was ironic that she attempted to put distance between us, she didn't seem very uncomfortable with this stranger. "_Ow_. Let go of me." The guy stood and stepped closer to us, his hand pushed at me angrily.

"Let her go, if she doesn't want to leave, she doesn't have to." He was able to push his way between us and I angrily shoved him, not affecting him much.

"Get away from her, Michiru, come on." I heard her sigh but she finally stepped closer to the exit.

"Hisagi, I'll talk to you later. I'm sorry." Hisagi frowned down at her before nodding.

"Okay, sorry about everything." His words were directed to both of us but it didn't phase me. My glare didn't falter and I tightly gripped Michiru's wrist. Without another look back, I dragged her out of the building, getting her as far away from that man as physically possible.

After getting to her house, I followed her into her room and we had a full out arguement. We screamed at each other for a good fifteen minutes before Mei-Mei knocked on the door to check on us. Once she was in the room Michiru shut up and told me to leave. I was eager to get away from that room, get away from that arguement. I didn't want to fight with the woman I loved, definitely not about some other man. As I stomped down the hall I made a decision to go ask Sayuri about this guy. I politely knocked on her office door and she quickly called me in. When I entered she smiled at me and offered me a seat.

"What can I do for you Tadashi?" After a moments time she noticed my anger and her face fell with concern. "What is it?"

"Who is Hisagi?" Her eyebrows shot up and her eyes glazed over with fury.

"Why are you asking me about that worthless boy?"

"Who is he? Michiru was having an...intimate lunch with him today." Her jaw clenched as she began filling me in on the details of this guy and what he meant to Michiru. With every word her voice gained more and more bitterness. In the middle of her description she said something that left my blood cold.

"She was in love with that piece of garbage."

:) Okay, hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took me days to write it! :D I'm glad that I'm finally done with it. Please review! :P


	12. Chapter 12

Hey, I'm back again! Well, with the help of my sister, I was able to lay out the plot so it shouldn't be as hard to write as it was for the last chapter. Thanks sis! :D So here's chapter 12! :E Oh yeah, I was rereading over some stuff and I noticed that I accidentally changed the age of Ichigo and Ruk's baby, it really is six months old, not three like Rukia stated in chapter ten. sorry my bad! :) Oh another thing, I'm dedicating this to my sister, she's so excited about a chapter dealing with Renji and Rukia so, this is for her. :)

_Michiru's POV_

Saturday morning I got up extremely early and snuck out of the house before my mother or Tadashi could find me. I got in my car and headed straight for Ichigo and Rukia's home. My car weaved it's way down the streets quickly making it's way to the house. Anger from the day before was still rushing through me fueling me with energy. As I approached the door I wondered if they were even awake. After a breif pause I knocked as gently as possible on the door and waited for it to open. Curious, I jiggled the door knob to find that it was locked. On the other side of the door, I heard feet shuffling and after a few more moments the door opened. Ichigo stood in his boxers and t-shirt glaring down at me. Once he rubbed his eyes and realized who was standing at his doorway at seven-thirty in the morning, the scowl subsided.

"Hey, what's up?" He had sleep in his eyes and he looked exhausted. After taking a step back, he ushered me in.

"I'm sorry for waking you up." I frowned up at him before he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. You're obviously here for a good reason. You look pretty pissed." He smiled slightly and tapped his index finger to his eyebrows to indicate my glare.

"I am." I grinned back at him, glad I'd come. Ichigo and Rukia always knew what to say to me, always knew how to make me feel better. His smile widened before he dragged me to the living room.

"You want me to go get Rukia?"

"No, don't wake her. I'm fine, I just needed somewhere to go. I had to get out of that house before Tadashi got there. If you want to go back to sleep you can, I'll just watch some television or something. I can make breakfast when you guys wake up again." Ichigo slightly cocked his eyebrow before taking a step back closer to the bedroom.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. If Saki wakes, I'll take care of her until you guys get enough sleep."

"Don't worry about that, Michiru. We can get it." I shook my head at his response.

"You two need sleep, I'd be happy to help, really." Again he hesitated before nodding slightly.

"Thank you, a lot." His hand reached out and patted my head before he disappeared into his room. I plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote, turning the tv to some random show. My mind wouldn't focus on the screen, it continued to turn back to Hisagi's words. _Maybe I don't want a serious relationship with anyone else._ He told me that he still cared about me. I couldn't believe it. I was about to tell him the same. I still cared about him, I still _loved_him. The words were making their way out of my mouth when Tadashi approached. Tadashi. My glare deepened and I folded my arms over my chest. He ruined everything, cutting my lunch short like that when I didn't know when I'd be able to see Hisagi again. _I should've stayed_, I thought as my phone sprang to life in my purse. My hand dug around the inside of my bag until I clutched onto my phone, pulling it out. When I glanced at the screen I saw Hisagi's name pop up, the cell telling me of an unread text. I quickly opened it, laying back on the couch.

_**Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry I wasn't able to message you sooner.**_

I felt a familiar warm sensations form in my stomach as I answered. My thumbs working diligently and moving rather quickly over the keypad.

_I'm fine, just angry. Don't worry about it, it's not your job to check up on me. Besides I had Mei-Mei._

The memories from the night before flooded my head and I realized how thankful I was for Mei-Mei. She was practically my second mother, she was so caring and hated this arranged marriage as much as I did.

_**It is my job, Michiru, because I want it to be. :) Mei-Mei's still working for your mother?**_

As I started to hit the reply button, I heard a quiet cry that slowly got louder. After sliding the phone in my pocket, I got up and quickly made my way to the baby's room and lifted her in my arms. I bounced her carefully and in mere seconds her cry was diminishing. Her parents hadn't woken up, thankfully, and she was starring up at me. I checked her for a dirty diaper, grabbed her binky and headed into the kitchen to make her a bottle. Once the bottle was warm I pulled Saki down with me on the couch and pulled my phone out with my free hand. With some clever maneuvering I was able to hold the babies head up while feeding her and texting. I was finally able to respond to his message.

_Sorry about the wait, I'm watching Ichi's baby while they sleep. Yeah, Mei-Mei's still there, thank God._

Once I had the message sent, I began bouncing Saki lightly and hummed absently to her. Her thick dark hair had gained a lot of length since the last time I'd seen her and replicas of her mother's eyes shined brightly on her face. Her tiny fingers wrapped around one of mine tightly. The phone vibrated in my other hand and stole my attention from Saki. I peered down at the phone intently.

_**It's fine, tho, I can't imagine you babysitting. Do you even like babies? **_

Before I could move my free thumb over the phone's buttons, I heard the quiet shuffle of footsteps. I turned to see Rukia rubbing her eyes. She was wearing one of Ichigo's over sized t-shirts and if she was wearing shorts underneath, it was hard to tell. Her eyebrows were knitted together as she took a few more steps towards me.

"Hey, why are you here? You don't need to feed her, I would have gotten her." She walked over to the couch and held her hands out protectively. I knew she trusted me with Saki but she wanted to take care of her.

"It's fine really, why don't you rest. When you've gotten more sleep I'll make you two some breakfast." I smiled up at her reassuringly, trying to soothe her anxiety over her daughter. She nodded and pulled her hands away, relaxing.

"Well, I'm up, thanks. You really didn't need to do this. Why are you here so early?"

"I had to get out of my house before Tadashi could get there." She frowned slightly and sat next to me, her fingers brushing Saki's head lovingly.

"Did something happen?" She looked up at me again, concerned and interested. My mouth opened to inform her when my phone went off again. My gaze went to the device and I realized that I hadn't answered Hisagi before. He had sent another message.

_**Is that a no? Haha. Come on, you can't leave me hangin' like that Ogawa.**_

Rukia glanced over to read the message and in the corner of my eye I saw a grin spread over her face. "You've been texting him? Cute." My eyes rolled as I moved to answer him.

_Sorry, uh, babies are fine as long as they don't cry all the time. I was just talking with Rukia. Fun. Hehe._

She gently smacked my arm after reading the message and I smiled at her warmly before shrugging. Her eyes shined with trouble, her middle name. I figured we'd have this conversation sooner or later.

"You still have feelings for him." She stated, there was no doubt in her voice. I thought about a proper response before deciding on a single nod. Rukia must have thought that there was some sort of sadness in the mix of my feelings for Hisagi. "Oh, Michi, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Well, he's with that...girl, and you're getting married." She frowned and patted my arm. I smiled at her actions and let out a soft laugh.

"It's fine."

"No it's not, how could it be fine?" I was about to speak when I was again interrupted by my cell phone. It began to vibrate with a new text message. My thumb hit the button to open it quickly. Rukia leaned over to see the phone again.

_**Ha. You sound so enthused. What happened to the sweet Michiru?**_

Before I could even push the reply button another message came from him. My eyebrow cocked curiously before I opened that one.

_**Would it be inappropriate to tell you I love you? **_

My heart skipped a beat, not only did he care about me, he loved me. Rukia gasped loudly next to me before taking the phone from me and rereading the message. My free hand grabbed at the phone and she willingly handed it over after taking in the information.

"What the hell is that about?" She was smiling at me happily and she absently pulled Saki out of my arms to finish feeding her.

"He told me that he...cared about me yesterday but...I didn't know he meant this." My voice was soft and uncertain. Was he really telling me this? After all those years he still had those feelings for me?

"You sound disappointed?" I shook my head instantly.

"I'm not." A smile crept up onto my face and I heard Ichigo walk up to the couch behind us. His arms rested on the back of the sofa and his head was laying on Rukia's shoulder tiredly. I took the time to reply to Hisagi's text.

_No._

"What are you disappointed about?" Ichigo asked after taking his place next to Rukia on the couch. I shook my head again.

"Nothing," I stated simply, not wanting to talk about it yet. Hisagi answered before Rukia could open her mouth.

_**Well, I do. Does that make you uncomfortable?**_

Both Ichigo and Rukia leaned over to read the message. Rukia grabbed my arm before Ichigo could ask about the text and made room for me to sit between them. That way we could all see the screen. I sighed but sat down and began spelling out my simple response.

_No, not at all._

"What are you guys talking about?" Ichigo looked down at me after reading my answer. Rukia answered for me, like I expected her to do.

"Hisagi just told her that he still loved her." She smiled warmly up at Ichigo, apparently she was ecstatic about a love I couldn't have. There were so many obstacles in our way, the main one was my engagement with Tadashi. Another was my mother, if she knew we were...together again, she'd flip out. There was also Ryō in my way. A relationship with Hisagi would be impossible.

"Are you serious? Do you...love him too?" Ichigo's eyes were slightly widened and his gaze rested on me.

"Yeah." Before anymore could be said, Rukia grabbed the phone from my hands and opened a message I had just received.

_**Good. :)**_

She began answering his text with a lengthly message of her own. I felt Ichigo rest some of his weight on me as he leaned over to read Ruk's words. Her thumbs were constantly in motion, she knew exactly what to say, apparently.

_Hey, you know how Rukia said something about all of us having lunch before you guys leave? Can you do it today? Like, in a couple of hours? She has a really nice place in mind and I'm not sure when I'll be able to do it other than today. Can you?_

"Rukia, we don't have a sitter." She looked up at Ichigo and her smile widened.

"We'll drop her off at Hisana's. Byakuya's out of town, she'll be happy to have some company." We sat there for a few minutes waiting for the response. I asked them what they wanted for breakfast and I asked Ruk about that place she had in mind. After discussing lunch, a message came, the phone letting out a loud noise as it vibrated in Rukia's hand. She pushed a single button and we read the message.

_**Well, Mina and Ryō can't make it, they're doing something with Mina's mom. Renji and I can meet you out there around one. Sound good?**_

Rukia answered quickly making plans for all of us.

_Sounds perfect! :) The place is called Rikou. It's pretty nice so dress appropriately. Can you get directions from Mina? _

After hitting send, she glanced at Ichigo. "You're wearing something nice." He laughed and nodded. We quietly waited for the message and hoped I had enough money in my purse for lunch. The text came as soon as I picked up my bag. I pushed away the task of checking my wallet until I had read the response.

_**Yeah, I'll get directions and I'll make sure to let Renji know about the dress code. **_

_Good. Well, I'm gonna make some breakfast for these two. I'll see you at one, bye._

She grinned at me excitedly and handed me the phone. "Yay, now you can see him again. By the way, how was lunch yesterday?"

"Tadashi followed us there and dragged me home the first time things got 'too personal.' I didn't even get the chance to eat. I left as soon as the food was brought to the table."

"What? He's...so insane. I can't believe he followed you. Well, now you can finish your lunch." She spoke confidently, her mind made up. The phone quivered in my hand, indicating a final message. We all turned our eyes to the screen to read it.

_**'Kay, see ya soon. Love you :)**_

None of us spoke but I felt my chest tighten.

Once Saki had finished eating, we all headed towards the kitchen and I cooked all of us something to eat. We sat down at the table eating for a good hour before cleaning up and chatting at the table over coffee. Afterwards, Rukia called Hisana and asked her to watch it was about fifteen after twelve, she pulled me and Ichigo into the bed room so she could pick out our clothes. She immediately handed Ichigo dress pants and a matching black suit jacket. She dug through the closet a little longer and pulled out a plain yellow sweater for him to wear under the jacket. He reluntactly took the clothing and stepped into their bathroom to change. Rukia turned to me and gave me a thoughtful look. She didn't speak but after a few more moments of silence she started digging in the closet again. She pulled out a purple sundress. It was made with a black belt fitted at the waist but when I reached to take it, she pulled it back and smiled.

"This ones for me." I nodded and returned the gesture. She pulled out a deep red dress that was similar to the one she grabbed for herself. It could be considered a fancy sundress. The sleeves were maybe half an inch past the shoulder. After the dresses she pulled out shoes. A black pair of heels for both of us. While Ichigo was in the bathroom, we slipped our dresses on and pulled our shoes, each of us gaining a few inches in height. When Ichigo stepped out of the bathroom, we looked him over and nodded in approval. He looked cute, his orange hair clashing with the yellow of his sweater.

"You look snazzy." Rukia smiled up at him and grabbed his hand. He rolled his eyes and took a step closer to her.

"You look like you finally hit four feet." He grinned at her and received a punch to the stomach. They continued to banter each other the whole way to the car, leaving me to my thoughts. I felt a knot of anxiety form in my stomach. I was really excited for this lunch but I didn't know if I could face him without feeling nervous. Honestly I wasn't sure how to act around him. I hadn't mentioned that I still loved him yet and he was still with Ryō. The knot twisted tighter as my thoughts drifted.

We quickly dropped Saki off at Hisana's and made our way to the restaurant. It was a good twenty minutes before we pulled into Rikou's parking lot. Ichigo parked near the door, the place was pretty empty, a rare thing. When I got out of the car I could spot Mina's car instantly. Hisagi's gaze met mine and he smiled warmly. He was wearing straight leg jeans, a black shirt under a dark blue suit jacket. Cute. I returned the gesture and waited for Ichigo and Rukia before approaching him. As we made our way towards Hisagi, Renji pulled himself out of the car. He was dressed similarly with fitting jeans, a bright red shirt under a black tailored coat. Renji grinned at us, directly his eyes to Rukia.

"Hey guys." He greeted us happily. Rukia looked them over and smiled.

"Hey. You two clean up nicely." We made our way to the doors and Renji fell in step with Rukia and Ichigo. Hisagi and I stayed a few steps behind. We walked close and he tugged on a piece of my hair.

"You look so grown up with long hair." A grin made it's way to his face. I laughed loudly at his words, something I hadn't done in a while.

"Thank you?" My hand absently went to my hair. "I was going to cut it soon, it's getting annoying."

"You enjoy looking like a child?" Another laugh escaped me and I nudged him.

"No, I just don't like it long."

"Either way, it's cute." He patted my back and held the door open for me to enter. We followed Rukia to a table and all of us got situated. A waiter approached the table and took our drink orders. As soon as our waiter left, Rukia stood. Ichigo glanced up at her curiously.

"Where are you going?"

"The restroom." She smiled at him, their eyes nearly level. "I'll be back." She took a step away from the table and I got up to follow her. It was better than interrupting lunch later. We walked together to the bathroom and quickly finished. On my way out I caught sight of myself in the mirror to see one side of my hair disheveled from Hisagi's earlier teasing. I stayed behind to fix it while Rukia headed towards the table. I smoothed out the mess and turned to leave. As I approached the door, I heard Renji. He was talking to someone. My eyebrows furrowed but soon the confusion was cleared up. I heard Rukia's distinct voice and found myself leaning closer to the door. Usually I wouldn't eavesdrop but I couldn't stop myself. They had some seriously interesting history.

"It's so great to see you guys again." Renji was saying and I heard Rukia let out a soft laugh.

"You too, you have no idea how Hisagi is affecting Michiru." I rolled my eyes at her words but continued to listen.

"I bet, all he's been doing this whole week is texting her. He hardly speaks to Ryō anymore and she's getting pretty pissed."

"Good, they both deserve better, specifically each other." A smile spread over my face. I found it reassuring that she thought that.

"They do," Renji agreed. "So what about you? You had a kid? I could never imagine that, especially not by the way you look." I could just imagine his eyes sliding up and down her body. A chill ran up my spine. _Ew. _

"Thanks?" I could hear a smile in her voice. Renji's large foot shuffled and I suspected he took another step closer to Rukia.

"No problem." As he spoke, his tone shifted into something more serious. I couldn't resist the urge to crack the door a bit and peek out. They didn't notice me and when I finally got a good look I realized that my earlier suspicion was right. Renji towered over her, standing pretty close. I started to feel uncomfortable for them, since neither of them seemed to care about their close proximity.

"I really missed you Renji." The change in Rukia's voice shocked me. _Is she pulling a Renji?_

"I missed you too," he said as he rested a hand to the side of her face. My eyes widened and I was praying Ichigo would approach before something bad happened. I was rooted in place and didn't really think I could stop them if I tried. Renji must have been encouraged by the fact that Rukia didn't pull away because he took a step closer to her. He leaned down, his eyes were glued to her lips. I felt like my eyes were going to fall out of their sockets. Before Renji could get any closer, Rukia lifted herself on her tip-toes, pressing her mouth against his.

My stomach dropped, I had to stop them but I couldn't move. I was frozen, shocked that Rukia would risk her marriage like this. She disappointed me, I mean this was expected of Renji. While standing there with my mouth wide open, their situation got a little steaming. Renji wrapped an arm around her waist and deepened their kiss. He stood up straighter, lifting her off the ground. Rukia's name slipped out of his mouth and I finally found the will to move, my anger fueling my sudden outburst. I stomped out of the room with a scowl on my face.

"What do you think you're doing?" As soon as the door opened, they pulled apart, surprised by my sudden appearance. Rukia was place back down but his arm stayed in place. I angrily made my way between them and pushed Renji back. "You're engaged, Renji, and you have a baby on the way! And you're supposed to be happily married, Rukia. What is wrong with you two?" Both had an ashamed expression on their faces and Renji took a step back, away from me. "Look, I wont say anything about this but you two have to promise not to let it happen again, okay?" My eyes were focused on Renji and he nodded right away. When I turned to Rukia she opened her mouth to speak.

"Look, we made a mistake and you're right, it wont happen again, just calm down."

"Calm down?" My voice was rising and the anger surging through me warmed my face. "You two have so much freedom to be with the person you actually care about and you're doing something as stupid as this!" Tears stung my eyes and understanding appeared on their faces. Renji carefully grabbed my arm.

"We're really sorry, Michiru."

"Don't apologize to me." I pulled away from him still disgusted about the whole thing. "Can we just go eat lunch?" They nodded and I pushed Renji in front of us to lead the way. We followed him silently and when we finally made it to the table we got confused looks from Hisagi and Ichigo.

"What took so long?" Ichigo asked, pushing some of Ruk's stray hair out of her face. She slightly pushed his hand away, guilt all over her face.

"Nothing, sorry."

"Are you okay?" His eyebrows furrowed in concern. She nodded, dismissing the subject. The waiter came back to the table to write down our orders. Rukia, Renji, and I just picked the first thing we saw on the menu and sat silently. Once the waiter was gone, Hisagi looked around and started an easy conversation.

"So are you two in college or are you waiting until you're baby is older?" His question was directed to Ichigo and Rukia, Ichigo being the one to answer.

"I'm in college right now, Rukia's going to pick up where she left off in a few months." He picked up his glass and his free arm went around Rukia's shoulders. She shrugged him off and stared at her glass of water. Ichigo looked down at her again, his forehead creased with concern. "Are you sure you're okay?" Rukia nodded but her gaze remained on the glass. Ichigo's hand went to her forehead as he checked for a fever. "Are you feeling sick or something?"

"I'm fine," she said as she glanced up at me. Ichigo turned to me and gave me a confused look. I smiled back and took a sip of my drink. Before he could ask anymore questions or say anything else, Hisagi started talking again.

"What about you, Michiru? Are you in college?" He smiled down at me happily. I nodded in response and smiled back.

"Yup, I'm in the middle of my first year." I glanced over at Renji before my gaze rested back on Hisagi. "And you two go to the same college, right?"

"Yeah, actually all four of us do." He said referring to Mina and Ryō.

"Is that how you met those two?" Ichigo asked, furthering the conversation. We continued to chat throughout lunch. By the time our food arrived, Rukia and Renji were able to contribute. Despite the earlier problem with personal space, we were all able to have a great time. The food was really good and it was fantastic to spend so much time with Renji and Hisagi. After dessert we all made plans to have another group lunch in the near future.

Once everyone was finished eating, we all stood and broke off into the original two small groups. Renji followed Rukia out but stood on the opposite side of Ichigo. Hisagi and I were a few steps behind and disappointment filled me as I realized that we'd have to part soon. I held in a sigh and was surprised when he reached out and grabbed my hand. Our fingers intertwined and he squeezed my hand carefully. I returned the gesture and glanced up at him to see him grinning down at me. A smile found it's way to my face but my chest tightened. _God, why can't this ever work out?_

When we reached Ichigo's car, Hisagi pulled me into a hug. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and kissed the top of my head. My throat closed up as I hugged onto his waist. Ichigo and Rukia were watching us and I could feel their pity for me radiating off of them. Renji smiled and once Hisagi let me go, reached over and ruffled up my hair. We all said our goodbyes and piled into our cars.

Once Ichigo pulled up into my driveway, I felt anger from the night before rise up. I quickly said goodbye and headed towards my house. Tadashi's car wasn't anywhere to be seen and I felt some of that anger diminish. Without hesitating, I started up the stairs towards my room. Halfway up, I heard my mother call out to me.

"Michiru, get down here, I've got some news." Her voice rang out happily and I knew something was going on. I reluctantly backtracked to my mother's location. When I reached her I was shocked to see Tadashi at her side, smiling at me widely.

"Hey," he said before wrapping an arm around me and placing a kiss to my cheek. I kept my attention on my mom as an attempt to stay calm. She smiled at me before speaking.

"I have some news for you two and it's sort of huge." My heart beat picked up speed. "I've been discussing it with Tadashi's mother and we decided that a wedding in February is too risky, the weather's too unpredictable." As she spoke, I felt hope build up in my chest. I thought for a split second that she might move the wedding to a later date, but my hope was instantly squished. "We've decided to move the wedding up to November. You'll both be having a school break and if we set the date early enough, the weather shouldn't effect the wedding." Her words sank in to both of us and our reactions were polar opposites. Tadashi was ecstatic; he hugged me eagerly and asked my mother multiple questions. I stood there stunned, starring off in disbelief, as my mom grinned at me knowingly.

_This can't be happening!_

**Okay, here it is! :) Hope you all enjoy, again it took me forever! Lol. Well read and review please! :D**


	13. Chapter 13

Okay, back again! :D I've actually got the rest of the story planned out, again. Haha, I forgot it after like a day but this time I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget. So hopefully these last six chapters will come quickly! :) Well here it is, again its picking up from the last scence of chapter 12. Here's chapter 13, enjoy! :3

_Michiru's POV_

After my mother filled both of us in on the details of the recent changes, she dismissed Tadashi. He hugged me tightly before heading for the door, acting as if we hadn't had that bitter argument the day before. I turned to leave but my mom grabbed my arm tightly, stopping me.

"I need to talk to you about something else." Even after I took a step back, she continued to grip my arm. "I know you're seeing _him _again, Michiru." My stomach dropped and the first thing that came to mind was to play dumb.

"What are you talking about?" My eyebrows furrowed as I spoke and I hoped I looked convincing. "Who's _him_?" She glared at me and tightened her grip quite noticeably.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about! That _boy_ from high school, that piece of trash you called a boyfriend." I had to use all my strength not to glare back at her as she spoke.

"Hisagi? I'm not seeing him, I had lunch with him a few times but Rukia and Ichigo were there. His girlfriend was there too." I felt my confidence boost, I never thought Ryō would be an advantage of mine. My mother's eyes narrowed as she considered this new information.

"And who would that be?"

"Her name's Ryō Kunieda, she went to my old high school and goes to college with Hisagi." I continued to play dumb, as if Tadashi didn't tell her about my lunch alone with Hisagi.

"Well, I was informed by your _fiancé_ that he found you having a personal lunch, just you and the boy." After swallowing the lump in my throat, I gathered the will to respond.

"We were just catching up, Hisagi knows that I'm engaged and I've met his girlfriend. It's nothing any of you should worry about." Lie.

"Well, to make sure there's not problems, I'll make sure that you wont be seeing him without your husband-to-be at your side." She grinned and I had the sudden urge to smack her. I masked my anger and gave her a look that showed no concern.

"Alright, if it'll make you feel better." My feet took a step back, putting some much needed distance between us. "Can I go now?" She nodded, that plotting grin still resting on her mouth.

"You may." With that, I turned and headed towards my room. Anger from our conversation started bubbling up and my footsteps became louder every step closer I got to my room. So much for hiding this from my mother.

The next few days were torture, every time I would make plans, my mother would catch me leaving. She ask me where I was going and when I answered, she'd suggest that I take Tadashi with me. As soon as the words would leave her mouth, I'd turn around and go back upstairs. I preferred to stay home then go out with him, let alone with Hisagi there. At least four text messages were sent canceling plans. After another failed attempt to leave, I stomped to my room and sulked. I quickly texted Rukia, telling her that I couldn't make it. She quickly replied and apologized.

_**I'm sorry, this really sucks. Have you ever thought of bringing Dashi along?**_

My head shook as soon as I read the text, I wouldn't take him, not after him catching me with Hisagi.

_Psh, no. I don't want to be near him, let alone with you guys, ruining my only free time._

_**At least you'd get out of the house. Maybe you should just bring him, we all miss you.**_

_I'd rather stay in my room, thanks but I think I'm gonna take a nap. Have fun! :)_

I sat my phone down and when I heard it go off on my night stand, I ignored it. I curled up under my blanket and covered my eyes with my arm. My mind started thinking over my options but as soon as I considered taking Tadashi with me, I pushed all those thoughts away. I cleared my head and tried to relax. After laying there for a few moments, I started to drift off. I was so close to sleep but before I was completely unconscious, my phone went off again. The sound snapped me out of sleep so I sat up and reached over to grab the cell. Hisagi's name popped up on the screen and I felt my bad mood lift slightly. I opened the text he sent and smiled slightly.

_**Hey, what's going on? Why haven't you been able to hang out with us this week? Did I do something wrong? :(**_

I started answering right away and sat up in bed. After getting situated, I hit send.

_What? No, it's just that Tadashi went to my mother and asked about you. So she knows about our lunch and wont let me go any where without suggesting that I take Tadashi with me, which I refuse to do._

I wondered if he'd react the same way Rukia did. Would he care if Tadashi were there? I wasn't sure and couldn't tell. I felt my nerves build up while waiting for his response. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I could tell him no if he asked me to bring him along. His message came after a small wait.

_**He went to Sayuri? Well, I don't want to ask you to do something you don't want to do but tomorrows our last day here. We're leaving Sunday morning. Renji and I already made plans with Rukia and I really want you to come.**_

Nope, I couldn't say no. If he was leaving, I had to see him before he was gone. If he wanted me to be there, I'd go, even if it meant bringing Tadashi.

_Then I'll come and if I have to, I'll bring Tadashi. Is that what you want? :3_

His response came faster than the last one.

_**I just want to see you again.**_

Outside the door I heard feet shuffling and felt my body stiffen. If it was Tadashi, I was going to go off on him. I was sure someone would enter because people rarely came to through my hall without popping in. Instead of intruding, the person continued walking down the hall and I finally able to relax again. My attention turned back to the phone as I began spelling out my text.

_Well, I'll be there. When is it?_

After a few more minutes of texting, he told me that they planned on seeing a movie and going back to Mina's parents house so Hisagi could make us dinner. Once I was done teasing him for his cooking skills, we indulged in conversation not focusing on our problems. We just talked to each other about anything, we reminisced about our short time together in high school. Our chat lasted for a good hour and a half.

After dismissing myself, I felt better about taking Tadashi along. If that's what I had to do to see Hisagi before he was leaving, I was willing to do it. Excitement took the place of my earlier anger and irritation. I just couldn't wait for the next day, I was so anxious, I fell asleep at seven-thirty.

The next day I woke early and headed down stairs. I had breakfast with Mei-Mei, something I hadn't done in a long time. We sat at the table catching up and I finally told her about Hisagi. She asked tons of questions and after a good hour of chatting about him, she was satisfied. Once we had the table cleared of our dishes, we went to my room and Mei-Mei helped me pick out the clothes I would wear. I decided that before getting ready for the evening, I would head to the hairdressers and get my hair cut. Mei-Mei tagged along and we were finished and on our way home in less than an hour. Once home, I took a quick shower and got dressed. I decided to wait to fix my hair so Mei-Mei departed to get some work done. I sat in my room and put all the focus I could into reading the book that had been sitting on my night stand. When I glanced at the clock, I was shocked to see that two hours had passed, it was two o'clock. _Only two more hours until I can leave,_ I thought happily.

I started reading again but this time my concentration was broken when footsteps approached my door. This time I wasn't as lucky enough to have the person walk away. Tadashi quickly stepped in, a smile on his face. He walked over to my bed and leaned over to kiss the top of my head. His hand lingered on my hair.

"You cut your hair, it looks great." His smile widened. I thought about how to react, I wasn't sure if I should hide my anger or not.

"Thanks," I said, settling with a neutral answer. He nodded and grabbed my hand, his face growing more serious.

"Look, I know you're still mad about...what I did. I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have followed you. I just want you to know that...I only did it because I love you and I was really worried. I'm sorry, Michiru." A frown found it's way to his mouth as he waited for me to respond.

"Uh...I know. I mean, I understand why you did it, but you really had no right, Tadashi."

"I know, I'm sorry. I won't do it again, really." He's face held a sincere expression and I knew I had no other choice but to forgive him. It was the right thing to do so I nodded and smiled.

"I forgive you, Tadashi." He smiled back and picked me up off the bed in a hug.

"I love you, Michiru." He placed me on the ground, his arms wrapped around my waist, waiting for an answer that never came.

For the next two hours Tadashi hung around at the house. He stayed in my room, flipping through one of my old books while I finished reading. When I got up to get something for lunch, he followed me downstairs and ate with me. He even followed me back upstairs until he realized I was going into the bathroom. I had him send Mei-Mei up and she helped me fix my hair. After about ten minutes deciding how to wear it, she helped me get it wet again. Then we each poured mousse into our palms and began working with the dripping mop on my head. When we were finished, my hair sat in even loose curls. Instead of pinning my bangs to the side like I usually did, Mei-Mei pulled them back and pinned them down. After another glance in the mirror and a check of the clock, I decided that it was time to go. I thanked Mei-Mei for her help, grabbed my bag and headed downstairs. When I reached the bottom of the stairs I dug in my purse and pulled out my keys. Footsteps approached me from behind and I figured it was Tadashi but to my surprise it was my mother.

"Going somewhere?" A knowing smile rested on her face.

"Yeah, I'm going to go see a movie with Rukia and some other friends." I returned the gesture, aware of the question that she was about to ask.

"Oh really? Is Tadashi going with you?" Her grin widened as her eyes turned to Tadashi who was now standing behind me.

"If he wants to, sure." I shrugged and felt laughter build up in my chest as her expression turned to one of surprise.

"Go where?" Tadashi asked behind me. I turned my head towards him and smiled.

"I'm going to the movies with some of my friends, do you want to come?" His face brightened and he nodded. As much as I didn't want him to come, it was worth it to see my mother's face.

"Sure."

"Okay, afterwards we're going to their house to eat dinner. You still want to come?" Again he nodded and took a step closer to me. "Okay, we'll be back later. Bye, Mother." She stared at us as we left with shock and anger on her face. After reaching the car, I started it and buckled up. Before heading towards the road, I turned to Tadashi. "I guess I should tell you that Hisagi's going to be there." He blinked.

"Okay," he said, surprisingly there was no anger on his face.

"Okay, I was just letting you know."

The car ride there was pretty silent so after a few minutes I flipped on the radio. I pushed the car faster and we made it to the theater in no time. I pulled into a parking spot close to the entrance and made my way out of the car. Tadashi got out and waited for me before entering. He opened the door and held it open for me.

"Thanks," I said as we headed towards the lobby. Immediately I saw Ichigo leaning against a wall and approached him. "Hey, where's Rukia?" He turned his head towards us and his eyes slightly widened.

"Hey, uh, everyone's waiting in the theater."

"They made you wait out here for us?" He shook his head and smiled down at me.

"I told them I would." His gaze went to Tadashi and he nodded a greeting. "Hey Tadashi, it's been a long time. How have you been?" I felt Dashi take a step closer to me and he greeted Ichigo.

"Good, you?" I pulled away from them and stepped up to the food counter. I bought two small pops and while the cashier was handing me my change, both Tadashi and Ichigo approached. After purchasing out tickets, we followed Ichigo into the theater. With a quick glance I found Renji and Mina. I smiled at them and greeted them. Introductions were made and the three of us took a seat. I quickly sat on Hisagi's free side and ignored Ryō's angry glare. Tadashi sat on my other side and didn't show any sign of discomfort. A chair squeaked quietly and when I glanced over I saw Mina looking over everyone to speak to me.

"You're haircut is so cute, Michiru." She smiled pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Thank you." A smile found its way to my mouth and I noticed everyone turn to me. They all commented, even Ryō complimented it, and I thanked them all. After that everyone broke up into several conversations. Hisagi turned to me and smiled, not seeming to care that both Tadashi and Ryō were watching.

"You don't look _that_ much like a child."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. Ryō leaned forward and gave Hisagi a funny look.

"Oh, shut up, you don't tease girls about their hair. It looks really cute, ignore him, he's an ass." She smiled slightly and I realized that she was finally warming up to me. I grinned back, happy that she was finally acknowledging me.

"I know." She laughed and glanced up at an obviously surprised Hisagi.

"I should've figured, though, he was probably worse in high school. Poor you." She opened her mouth to speak but a loud movie trailor cut her off and she simply smiled before leaning back in her chair.

The movie was luckily, not scary. It turned out to be a comedy and I was thankful for that. Throughout the entire movie, Tadashi was quiet the whole time, he hardly reacted. I don't think he found it very interesting but everytime our eyes met, he'd smile happily at me. During the film, Hisagi decided that we'd be sharing a drink and kept picking up my soda. It really didn't bother me and he didn't seem to think much of it. At one point, it was empty and he willingly left for a refill. When he got back he smiled at me, giving me a funny look. I cocked an eyebrow at him but when he leaned closer to whisper something to me, Ryō absently nudged him and asked him a drink.

After the movie, we all made it quickly to the lobby and huddled together. Since Mina, Ryō, and Renji were the only ones who could get to her parents house, we decided to split them up. Renji was assigned to Mina's car with Hisagi riding along. Mina agreed to ride with me and Tadashi which left Ryō for Rukia and Ichigo. We all headed to the three separate vehicles and made our way to the Aburamai residence. It wasn't far away and within ten minutes, we were all deposited our cars in the large parking lot. After regrouping, we all made our way to the house. It was a beautiful home, smaller than my parents but more homey. It didn't feel cold like my house and we were even greeted in the living room by her parents. We were all introduced and welcomed warmly by Mina's family.

Mrs. Aburamai and her husband chatted for a few minutes with everyone before excusing themselves. They had made plans and left us alone in the house. Once they were gone, Mina led us to the kitchen and helped Hisagi get everything he needed out and ready. There was a seating area for us to wait but most of us decided to gather around the island in the middle of the room to watch Hisagi cook. He surprisingly looked like he knew what he was doing. He didn't seem to mind us watching him either. Every once and a while he'd look up and roll his eyes at us.

Once dinner was done and after we all marveled that it looked not only edible but delicious, Rukia and I set the table and everyone took a seat. I sat at one of the ends and Tadashi took the spot to my right while Hisagi sat on my other side. The food was distributed and after I scooped some on my plate I bowed my head and said a silent prayer.

_God, thank you for this food and for my friends. Please help guide me in the right direction and show me what to do about Hisagi. Amen._

When I sat my head up, seven set of eyes were on me. Everyone was smiling but the attention wasn't appreciated. I ignored them, even though they continued to watch me and started eating. A few of them didn't turn their gazes from me and I finally got frustrated with it. I looked at them and sighed.

"What?"

"I always knew you were a good person but that was just too cute." Renji stated, an amused look on his face.

"Praying is not cute," I said, trying to ignore them.

"Calm down, we're not mocking you." He continued.

"He's right, it was cute. It shows how humble you are." Mina chimed in, smiling warmly at me. All I could think to do was shrug it off. Finally they all started eating and left me alone. Conversations started around the table and after taking a few bites Ryō turned to me.

"So, have you guys set a date for your wedding?" She grinned curiously and her earlier anger was gone. _Oh God, wedding questions,_ I thought bitterly.

"Uh, no. We were supposed to get married in February but my mother changed it. It's going to take place in early November." In my peripheral vision I could see Hisagi's hand nearly drop his fork when her heard the news. I did my best not to meet his gaze and focused on Ryō.

"You two must be so excited." Next to me, Tadashi smiled and nodded before grabbing my hand. I didn't waste my energy with lying to her, I didn't respond. Others turned towards us and joined the conversation. My eyes met Rukia's and she spoke up after noticing how uncomfortable I was.

"Are you excited, Michiru?" I was shocked she'd ask such a question with Tadashi here. She knew the answer, why was she making me hurt him? _I can't lie._

"No," I stated simply, giving her a cold look. I felt Tadashi's hand stiffen on mine but knew he was already aware of my lack of enthusiasm.

"So, you're okay marrying someone who doesn't want to marry you?" Hisagi's question was directed to Tadashi and he spoke in a friendly manner but they were all over the line. Tadashi glared back at him and his grip on my hand tightened.

"It was arranged, what do you expect me to do about it?"

"Nothing, that wasn't my question."

"So I'm the bad guy because her mother's making her do this? I can't help the fact that I love her and that I'm excited about marrying her." Dashi's voice was rising and I was shocked to find myself on his side.

"No, I was just wondering-" I cut Hisagi off before he could ask anything more.

"Stop." I glared up at him. "Leave him alone, Hisagi." When he turned to me, his eyes gave away his surprise. "It's not Tadashi's fault that our parents did this and he's right, he's not at fault because he wants to get married. Now everyone shut up and talk about something else." They all blinked at me and I felt bad for being so rude. "Please," I added quickly and got a few smiles.

The conversation shifted to something else with a little effort and everyone seemed to calm down except for Tadashi. Everytime Hisagi would talk to me, he'd grab my hand or start talking to me the first time there was a lull in conversation. I found myself getting sick of his whole protective jealous act but he continued throughout the whole night. Once everyone was done with dinner we all moved to the living room to eat dessert and Tadashi refused to let go of my hand. When Hisagi took a seat next to me on the couch, he pulled me closer to him by the wrist. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to argue with everyone around but I was ready to explode.

When it started getting late, I felt my eyelids grow heavy and rested my head against the back of the couch. I felt an arm under my head and figured it was Tadashi's. I didn't think much about it but before I knew it, I was being yanked up and lifted off the couch. My eyes opened wide and I looked up at Dashi for an answer.

"It's getting late, we should be heading home." His voice was serious and I could still hear the anger from before. I was more than happy to get away from him so I simply nodded. Everyone started to stand and headed towards the door with us. After I had my jacket and shoes on I started saying goodbye to everyone. I started with Ryō and was surprised to get a hug.

"It was nice to meet you, Ryō. Hopefully we can stay in touch." She smiled and nodded.

"Sounds great. I'm sorry if I came off as a bitch. I was really rude to you for no reason and I'm sorry." I shook my head, brushing it off and moved on to Mina. I just wrapped an arm around her in a half hug because she was too pregnant to put both arms around her.

"Good luck with you're baby, I'll keep you guys in my prayers. God knows Renji'll need them." I smiled up at him before hugging him tightly. His chest rumbled as he laughed and his arms wrapped me up in a hug. Tears stung my eyes and I realized how much I was going to miss him. Finally I pulled away and grinned up at him. "You better be a good dad and send me lots of baby pictures."

"Will do." As Renji spoke, I felt Tadashi's hand find mine again. He was ready to leave but I turned to Hisagi instead of the door. Without thinking I wrapped my arms around him. I didn't know what to say to him, I had no idea what I could say without breaking down so I didn't speak at all. I pulled back but before I could get very far he hugged onto my waist and lifted me up in a hug. My arms wrapped around his neck and I buried my face in his shoulder. He pressed a kiss to my head and hesitantly set me down.

"Bye." His voice was quiet and more uncertain than I'd heard it before. I felt a hand tightly grip my arm and drag me towards the door.

"Bye," I said as I frowned up at him. A feeling of déja vu came over me and the memory of driving away from Hisagi three years ago came back to me. Again I wasn't sure when I'd see him again or if I'd see him again. My chest tightened as I got my last glance of him before being dragged out of the house.

**Okay here it is! ;D Hope you all enjoyed! :P Please read and review! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, back again. I'm really excited and I get more and more anxious to write as I get closer to the end of the story! Thank you to all who's been following and I hope I wont disappoint. Well here's chapter 14. :) Oh btw, I've noticed that most of the second half of the story had been in Michiru's POV, I'll work Hisagi back into it, sorry hehe.

_Michiru's POV_

When we got home from the Aburamai residence, Tadashi followed me inside the house. It was pretty obvious that I was mad at him but he continued to follow me up the stairs. I walked into my room and shut the door behind me but he just pushed the door open and took a few steps in. I couldn't hold back any longer, I was ready to sucker punch him.

"What Tadashi?" I asked bitterly. His eyebrows were turned down in a glare as he answered.

"I don't see why you're so mad at me." My eyes slightly widened at his words.

"Are you kidding me? You dragged me around like I was your property! Every time I got within two feet of one of the guys there, you'd pull me away."

"No, every time that Hisagi guy pushed it, I'd pull you away. It's obvious he's into you, even if he is with that girl." He shut the door and took a few more steps closer to me.

"It doesn't matter, you have no right to do that! I can talk to whoever I want and Hisagi didn't 'push it'. He didn't do anything."

"What?" His voice rose dramatically. "He doesn't understand personal space, at least not yours." His arms were crossed over his chest angrily.

"Why, because he sat next to me? You're being ridiculous, Tadashi! You have no reason to be mad." I felt my face heating up with anger and took a brave step closer to him. "Nothing even happened!" Tadashi put less distance between us and I could practically feel the rage radiating off of him.

"I have every right to be angry! He's moving in on my fiancée and you don't even seem to care."

"I **don't **care!" He recoiled at my words and his eyes widened noticeably. Finally, I was going to tell him the truth. "I'm sorry, but I don't care, Tadashi. I don't care about this engagement or this relationship. I've made that very clear."

"What? No you haven't, I know you don't want to get married but you've always been committed to our relationship." My head started shaking as he spoke.

"I'm not committed, Tadashi, I'm being forced to be with you." I took a deep breath before continuing. "Look, I was never that serious with you, I just couldn't find it in myself to break up with you. I've never had feelings for you, I'm not in love with you and I will never want to marry you." My voice was soft, I didn't want to hurt him anymore than I had to. When I glanced up at him I saw an obviously upset expression on his face.

"...What?"

"I'm sorry." He stood frozen as his eyes glazed over. Tears stung my own eyes when I saw the pain I had caused him. "If we go through with this wedding...you're going to be stuck with someone who can never return your feelings, who can never love you. You deserve to be with a woman who cares about you the way you care about her." A few tears slid down his face and he finally met my gaze. "You shouldn't marry me."

"I love you," he whispered, a desperate tone in his words.

"I know but you deserve better, Tadashi. You should be with someone who's in love with you." I placed a hand on his arm, trying to comfort him the best way I could. "I know you could stop this wedding if you wanted to and I know your mother only accepted this whole arranged marriage because you want to marry me. I'm telling you the truth, it would be so much better for you if you broke the engagement." His arms wrapped around me and he rested his head on my shoulder. His head shook from side to side in disagreement. "You deserve better than me."

"I don't want anyone but you." I gulped, I was affraid of that. "You're just telling me this because you don't want to marry me." My eyebrows knit together.

"What? No I'm not. I meant everything I just told you. I'm more concerned that you're not stuck with someone who can't love you." A knot formed in my stomach as I let that little fib slip out of my mouth. "Like I said, you deserve better-" I cut myself off when I felt Tadashi's body tense up. "What?" He let me go and pulled back to look down at me.

"You have feelings for someone else, that's why you're trying to convince me to break our engagement." His earlier anger began to build up again. _How in the world did he figure that out?_ I thought frantically.

"I'll be honest with you, I do have feelings for someone else but whether we get married or not, I wont be able to be with them. My mother will figure out a way to keep me from him." His face fell with confusion.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because she hates him, she doesn't think he's good enough for her family." Tadashi blinked his eyes and the light bulb went off in his head.

"It's Hisagi, he's the guy you have feelings for." Instead of speaking, I nodded. "Is Sayuri the reason you broke up with him in the first place?"

"I never broke up with him, she dragged me here and made me transfer schools. I had no way of seeing him." He scrutinized my face and after a moment of silence he spoke again.

"So that is the reason you want me to break our engagement." His words were accusing and I started to feel frustrated.

"No, I already told you, whether you do or not, I wont be able to be with him." He continued to stare down at me, his face unreadable. "Even if I'm not in love with you, I still love you, Tadashi. I want you to be happy and if that means you'll choose to marry me, I wont have any hard feelings towards you." He turned to look at the ground and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"I'll take this into consideration and I'll think about it." His arms slipped around my waist and he pulled me into an extremely tight hug. When he pulled away, he hastily pressed his mouth to mine. Kissing him was more uncomfortable than usual after our argument. His lips lingered longer than I expected but he finally broke away from me and left after telling me that he loved me.

_He's never going to break this engagement,_I thought as my chest tightened. Tears stung my eyes and blurred my vision. My knees started feeling shaky and all my resolve to fight for a relationship with Hisagi was being crushed. It was pointless, even if Tadashi miraculously ended our engagement, my mother would never just sit there and allow it. I covered my face in my hands and started crying, releasing some of the built up anger and sadness. After sitting there for a few minutes, I heard a familiar ring and realized that my phone was going off. I wiped at my eyes and dug in my purse. With a glance of the screen, I learned that Hisagi had just sent me a text message. It didn't do much to lift my spirits.

_**Am I going to see you again? :(**_

I sank down on the floor and slipped my shoes off. After tossing them aside I sat my phone on the ground next to me and unpinned my hair. I waited a few moments before taking the cell phone back in my hands and replying.

_I hope. Is there any way we can talk? Can I call you?_

While waiting for his answer, I got up and rummaged through my drawers until I found a pair of sweatpants. After slipping out of the jeans I had worn out, I pulled the sweats on and tugged at the draw string. Then I went to my closet and grabbed an over sized t-shirt. I took off the blouse I was currently wearing and threw the t-shirt on. By the time I was curled up in bed, I had received his message.

_**Of course you can, I just have to get away from Ryō.**_

I gave him a few minutes before searching for his name in my contacts and hitting the call button. The other end rang a few times and I figured he hadn't escaped yet. After the fourth ring, he finally answered.

"Hey, you okay?" He voice was hushed, his words whispered into the phone.

"Not really," I stated, my own voice shaky.

"Did something happen?" His words held a concerned tone. I knew I could trust him but I wasn't sure if I could handle the recap. After a deep breath, I decided to tell him.

"I just..." Tears stung my eyes but I gained some composure and continued. "When we got home, Tadashi was acting all...angry. We got in this huge argument."

"Why was he mad?"

"He was mad at you but I'm the one who started the argument." Hisagi laughed quietly on the other end before speaking.

"I have the hardest time imagining that." I chuckled at his words.

"You obviously don't know me very well." My chest ached at the playful banter that would never last. I would never have this relationship, at least not as long as my mother was alive. My eyes grew misty and a few stray tears slid down my face. I took in a shaky breath while I focused on Hisagi's voice.

"We'll have to do something to change that." He sounded like he was teasing me but I knew he meant it. "If I get the chance to come into town, would you be interested in hanging out?"

"Of course, I'd love to."

"Will you be able to?"

"Maybe, I don't know." He was silent for a few minutes and I felt a knot form in my stomach. "Hisagi...I think you should...focus on your relationship with Ryō. I'm getting married in like three months, I can't..." I pressed my hand to my forehead as tears started running down my face. My body shook and a soft cry escaped my throat.

"Michiru..." He sounded worried as he tried to soothe me over the phone. "It's okay, Michiru, if-" I spoke without thinking, cutting him off.

"It's not okay, Hisagi!" The words came out louder than I intended them to be. "I don't want to be with Tadahi and I don't want you to be with Ryō! But there's nothing I can do about any of it and it's driving me crazy." I let out another sob, a little louder than before.

"Sh, calm down." He let out an unsteady breath. "Did you try telling Tadashi about how you feel about your...situation?"

"Yes, I told him tonight that I'm not in love with him. I practically begged him to break our engagement while trying to convince him that it would be better for both of us."

"What did he say?" Again, I inhaled, the sound effected because I was crying.

"He told me that I was only telling him that because I didn't want to get married, which isn't completely untrue. But it's not like I didn't mean everything else I told him, I wasn't lying. I do want him to be happy and I know he wont get that from marrying me." Sighing, I wiped my eyes and pulled the blankets closer. "I just want to be with you."

"...You do?"

"Yes, I love you, Hisagi." He was silent for a brief moment as if he had a hard time believing me.

"I love you too." We were silent as I tried to control my breathing and gain some composure. I rubbed my eyes tiredly and sighed.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do, Hisagi," I said as I sunk down in my bed and curled up.

"I'll think of something, I promise." A smile creeped up on me and instead of argueing that there was no point, I let hollow hope sink in. "First thing I'm going to do is break up with Ryō."

"Why? We don't even know if Tadahi's going to do anything."

"Well, it's really not far for me to lead her on, Michiru. I don't really like her." He laughed quietly.

"Oh, good point." I let out a yawn and reallized how heavy my eyelids felt.

"You should go to bed. You sound exhausted."

"I am in bed," I said, my voice dropping in volume. I slid the phone between my ear and the pillow I had been using.

"Well, you should go to sleep. I'll call you tomorrow when we get back, okay?"

"No, I'm not tired, stay on the phone with me." I heard him chuckle softly before he agreed.

"Okay, okay." His voice dropped in volume. He continued to talk to me. He kept the conversation light and off the topic of Tadashi. After twenty minutes, I couldn't keep my eyes open. With a lot of effort, I said my goodbyes.

"I'll call you tomorrow when I get home, okay?" he asked, his tone more serious than before. I couldn't help sighing at his words. I was going to miss him.

"Alright."

"I love you, Michiru." My chest tightened and it felt like my heart exploded.

"I love you, too," I said as I pressed my hand to my forehead. He sighed but he sounded more content than me. "Good night."

"G'night." I heard the other line click off and flipped my phone shut. Tossing the cell aside, I curled up and closed my eyes. With a lot of effort I was able to slip into an uneasy sleep.

_Hisagi's POV_

I let out an exhausted sigh as Ryō slammed the door, dragging her luggage with her. When I slipped into the room after getting off the phone with Michiru, she was sitting up in bed reading. She was waiting for me prepared with a ton of questions. Somehow, she had figured out that I had been texting Michiru for the last two weeks. I was sure that Mina and Renji didn't tell her so I guessed that she had probably looked through my phone. As soon as she figured out who I was talking to, she blew up. I knew it was time to end it with her so I told her that I had feelings for Michiru and apologized for hurting her. Of course she was furious and before leaving she slapped me in the face, something I honestly didn't expect.

Once she was gone, I crawled into bed and tried to get some rest. I reached over and flipped the lights off. In the dark, I pulled off my t-shirt and through it aside. Then I kicked off my shoes and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. I sat it on Ryō's pillow as my eyelids slid shut. Before I had much of a chance to fall asleep, there was a loud knocking on my door. I let out a frustrated sigh.

"What?" As soon as I spoke, the door flew open and Mina waddled in.

"What is going on? Why is Ryō down stairs crying? She's trying to leave in a cab. What happened?"

"I broke up with her, now please get out." Burying my face in the pillow, I tried to shut her out.

"Why? Don't you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." My words were muffled from the pillow.

"Hisagi, please just tell me what happened." Her voice softened and she moved closer to the bed, her feet shuffling. She sat at my side and rested her hand on my back.

"Nothing happened. I came in here after getting off the phone with Michiru and she started yelling at me. I told her that I love Michiru, told her I was sorry and got hit in the face. Then she left." I turned my head to look up at her. "Can I sleep now?"

"You love Michiru?"

"Yes, good night, Mina." She smiled sadly down at me and nodded.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'll take Ryō to another room and we'll figure out travel plans tomorrow morning." She leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of my head in a motherly fashion. Her hand rested on my night stand as she pushed herself off the bed. I grabbed her arm and have her a helpful nudge. "Thanks. Sorry about intruding, you get some sleep. Good night, Hisagi."

"Night. Be careful going down the stairs."

"Will do," she said as she smiled and slipped out of the room.

Once she left, I burried my face in the pillow again and closed my eyes. I forced my concern for Ryō out of my mind, knowing she was in good hands with Mina, and slowly fell asleep.

_Michiru's POV_

The next day I woke up late after rolling around all night. I woke up in the middle of the night more than once. With little sleep, it was difficult getting out of bed, even at eleven o'clock. After dragging myself downstairs, I ate a small breakfast. I lingered at the table, not knowing what else to do. Mei-Mei found me and joined me for a cup of coffee. She stayed and chatted for a while but she had to leave, rushing after my angry mother. Once I was alone again, I decided to spend the day catching up on my studying. I stood from the table, grabbed my coffee cup and headed towards the stairs. As soon as my foot hit the bottom step, the door opened and Tadashi walked in the house. I turned and our gazes met. He smiled weakly before approaching me.

"Hey," he said, his smile widening slightly.

"Hi." I couldn't force myself to return the gesture. He moved closer and rested his hand on my back before kissing my forehead.

"I wanted to talk to you, can we go to your room?" My breathe caught in my throat and I could only nod. I turned and led him to my room. Once we were there, we both sat on the built in bench next to my window with more distance between us than usual. I took that as good sign and felt myself begin to hope for the best. Tadashi turned to me and grabbed my hand, his smile faltering slightly.

"I really thought about everything you said yesterday, Michiru. It was a huge shock, I honestly didn't know you felt that way, but I made myself think about what you told me." His grip tightened on my hand and his eyebrows turned down slightly.

"What?" He hesitated to speak.

"I just...feel...selfish but I can't break our engagement. I love you and I can't just let you go Michiru. I'm sorry." My eyes widened slightly and all that hope was crushed under the weight of his statement. "I know that I can make you happy and you already do that for me." I sat frozen, no sign of a reaction on my face. "Are you going to be okay?" Without thinking about it, I pulled my hand away.

_He's not breaking the engagement! What am I going to do?_

_Hisgai's POV_

Early the next morning, I woke and got out of bed. I slowly took a shower and got my things ready to go, not wanting to run into Ryō. After getting dressed I check my phone for the time and realized that we were supposed to leave in less than an hour. My chest tightened as I thought about Michiru's phone call last night. _Can I really leave her like this?_I thought as I absently grabbed my suitcase handle. The anxiety swirling around in my stomach felt too familiar and a memory from Michiru's first departure flashed in my mind's eye. That anxiety twisted into a knot and I could see her walking away from Rukia's front door, leaving me.

I made a decision, dropped my suitcase and headed out the door. I flew down the stairs and went looking for Renji or Mina, it didn't matter which of the two I saw first. As I rounded the corner, I nearly walked right into Mina and her huge pregnant belly. Stopping short, I ended up only about an inch away from her. She grinned up at me before speaking.

"Sorry about that, that was pretty close, huh?" She patted my arm and attempted to move around me. "Come on, we'll get a quick breakfast before heading home." I grabbed her arm, my fingers carefully curling around her. Her head turned and her eyes met mine. She blinked before she realized something was wrong. "What is it?"

"Mina, I'm not leaving." Her eyes widened.

"What? Of course you are, classes start again tomorrow, you have to come. If you're worried about riding for hours with Ryō, don't I've already-" I cut her off by shaking my head.

"I'm not worried about that, I'm not going. I have to stay here."

"For what? Is everything okay?" Again I shook my head.

"I can't leave yet."

**Okay, hope you all enjoyed. This chapter sorta ended on a dumb not, I sat here for like ten minutes trying figure out Hisagi's ending words and I'm like "...just PUT SOMETHING!" Haha, anyhoo, please read and review! :) **


	15. Chapter 15

Hey, so I'm back! :) I did a little digging and realized that there's only like four chapters left of this story! :3 I'm so excited and I wanted to thank all of you who helped me through this story! Thanks to MarieRock for always reading my stuff and helping me with my horrible spelling! :D Thanks DetroitBleachWings for helping me with the title, I LOVE the title btw! Hehehe. Oh, and thank you gnarley- for always inspiring me to continue on with your awesome reviews! :3 Thanks to all, please enjoy the last four chapters! :P

_Michiru's POV_

After Tadashi had given me the horrible news of our continued engagement, I felt stuck. I had no idea what to do or how to go about telling Hisagi. Anger was pulsing through my veins and my brain started cranking out solutions, though most of them had huge holes and were doomed to fail epically. Still, the pent up anger grew and I had no way of disposing any of it. I found myself pacing around my room with my fists clenched.

_What am I supposed to do? I don't want to marry him!_ I thought as I stomped around, lapping around my furniture. After a few minutes of bitter stomping, Mei-Mei lightly knocked on my door before entering.

"Hey, is everything okay? Are you alright?" Her brow furrowed with concern as she approached me. I had stopped pacing and stood in place, my hands still tightly fisted.

"No," I said, my voice full of rage. The furrow in her forehead dug deeper.

"Sweety, what happened?" Her hand reached out and she lightly squeezed my arm.

"It's stupid Tadashi!"

"Are you still angry about the way he acted at your friend's house?" I shook my head. Mei-Mei continued to press me to talk about it and after a little more effort on her part, I explained Tadashi's selfish decision. I told her all about the conversation we had the night before and about the confessions I made. By the time I had finished talking, I could see the pity written all over her face.

"Sweety, I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around me hugged me tightly. "Have you told Hisagi yet?" Mei-Mei was already up to date with my resurfaced feelings for Hisagi.

"No, I haven't talked to him since last night. He's leaving today but he said he'd call when he got home." Sighing, I collasped onto my bed, calming slightly.

"We could always...talk to your mother. I know she's the one who started this but if she sees how unhappy it's making you, I'm sure she'll at least think it through. Wanna give it a try?" She grabbed my hand and tugged. "Even if it doesn't work out, we can say we've tried. Come on, Michiru." After letting out a more frustrated sigh, I pulled myself off the bed and nodded.

"Whatever." Mei-Mei smiled weakly as she dragged me out of the room and down the stairs to my mother's office. After she knocked softly on the door, we slipped in. My mother was sitting at her desk looking through some paper work, probably looking over a contract for her business. I was surprised to see my father leaning against the desk casually. At first I thought that something was wrong, they hardly ever crossed paths unless something serious came up. They both turned towards us with nuetral expressions on their face.

"Excuse us, we didn't mean to interupt. We were just hoping to talk with you, Sayuri. Do you have a minute?" Mei-Mei said, a friendly smile spread over her face.

"Yes, of course." My mother returned the gesture, she had always gotten along with Mei-Mei. Her hands started pushing the papers together in a neat pile and she glanced up at my father, as if expecting him to leave. He rested his hands back against the desk but made no further movements. I thought this would anger my mom but she simply rolled her eyes, her awkward grin still in place. _Are they getting along?_ I thought as my mother turned her attention back to us.

"What is it?" Her gaze rested on Mei-Mei, expecting her to speak. I glanced up at her also, hoping she'd say something. Luckily she caught sight of my silent plea and opened her mouth.

"I was informed a few minutes ago of a...decision that Tadashi's made and-"

"What decision?" My mother's eyes narrowed slightly as she interupted Mei-Mei.

"Well, last night Michiru told him that she didn't want to get married and that she didn't...love him." Sayuri nodded as if she was already aware of that. "She told him that it would be better for both of them if they never got married." My mother glared at me in disaproval but Mei-Mei continued. "He said he'd think about it but he's decided to continue the engagement."

"And?" Her gaze shifted back to Mei-Mei but the anger in her eyes dimmed.

"Well, Sayuri, we want to know if you'd think about reconsidering this whole thing. Michiru's very unhappy, she doesn't love Tadashi" As she spoke, my mom shook her head.

"Tadashi's perfect for her. He's polite, kind, and loves her very much. I'm not reconsidering anything. This conversation is over." She swiveled in her chair, turning back to her desk.

"Sayuri-"

"No." Her head turned back towards us, an angry expression overtaking the earlier calm pleasant one. "Why do you care so much anyway? She's not your child, mind your business and focus on your work." Her words were laced with bitterness, I'd never heard her talk to Mei-Mei like that.

"I love, Michiru. I love you all, I thought I was part of your family." She paused before continuing. "I just want her to be happy." She frowned slightly as she spoke. Guilt pulsed through me, I hated that Mei-Mei was getting hurt because she was sticking up for me.

"That doesn't give you a right to interfere, she's marrying him, end of discussion." Finally I spoke up, anger fueling me.

"Mother, please! I don't love him." My tone was harsher than I intended.

"I don't care. He can take care of you, he'll be able to provide for you. God only knows what piece of shit you'd marry, tainting our family with people like the Shuuhei boy."

"Shut up!" Silence fell after I spoke those two words. My mother's anger increased as she stood to aproach me. Before she could take one step, my father grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Sayuri, sit down." His voice was gentler than I'd heard it before. He directed his gaze to me, that calm expression still plastered on his face. "Michiru, remember your place. You don't speak to your mother like that." My jaw clenched and a glare found its way to my face.

"I have every right!" I turned back to my mom, pent up fury finally being released. "How dare you speak about him like that? I loved him and you did everything to screw up our relationship. I still love him! You can't-"

"That's why you're here? You really think I'd end your engagement so you could be with that garbage?" she asked, interupting me while pulling away from my dad. "There's no chance in hell that that will ever happen." As she spoke, I started pulling the huge diamond ring off my hand and threw it on the ground.

"I refuse to marry him." My words caused her to smile.

"You have no say, Michiru. We've already filled out the legal documents, it's happening."

"You'll have to drag me down the aisle." Her grin widened.

"Don't think I wont." I knew she was serious, she'd do anything to make sure I married Tadashi, especially now that she knew about my current feelings for Hisagi. It really didn't matter that I took off the ring or told her that I wouldn't do it, I didn't have a choice. I glanced at my father, all the anger and unhappiness showing on my face. He gave me a regretful look but didn't say a word. I wasn't sure what had gotten into him but he still wasn't willing to help me, that's all that mattered. He bent over to pick up the ring but before he had the chance to give it back, I turned and stomped out of the room. I didn't wait for Mei-Mei to follow, I wasn't even sure if she did. I continued until I reached my room and slammed my door angrily, something I had never done before.

_Hisagi's POV_

After I made the decision to stay and told Mina about it, she dragged me off to her parents and asked if it'd be okay for me to stay a few days longer in their home. They surprisingly agreed happily, welcoming me to stay as long as I needed. Then Mina made me eat breakfast, telling me that whatever I had to do could wait ten more minutes. As I settled at the table, she was walking out the front door with Renji and Ryō. After inhaling my food, I got up and went back to the guest room I was staying in. I quickly grabbed my wallet and asked Mrs. Aburamai if I could borrow her car. Feeling guilty for imposing, I was sort of hesitant to ask but she just smiled and handed over her keys.

I was gone most of the day and once I returned to the Aburamai residence around six in the afternoon. After pulling into their large driveway, I killed the engine and grabbed the keys. Before stepping out of the car, I reached over and grabbed the small bag at my side. I headed towards the house and started planning my next course of action.

_Michiru's POV_

The whole day was wasted while I stewed in my room. Mei-Mei never came back to talk about it, neither my mother or father attempted to talk to me, which was expected. They didn't even send someone to return my engagement ring. I didn't pick up my novel to read, I didn't turn on music or the televison. The day was spent in silence while I was sprawled out on my bed, I didn't even take the time to change clothes.

I lost track of time so when my phone went off, I had to glance at the clock to see how late it was. _Who is texting me at nine-thirty? Hisagi can't be home already, can he?_ Without another thought, I picked my cell up off the night table and glanced at the screen. Sure enough, it was Hisagi.

_**Hey, how are you?**_

My brow furrowed in confusion. I wasn't sure what to make of his question so I brushed it off.

_Fine, thanks. Are you already home?_

I curled up in bed, pulling the blankets closer and waited for his response. It came quickly.

_**No. :)**_

I still wasn't sure what to make of his messages. He was acting strange, like he was avoinding my question. Before I could reply, asking about his whereabouts, my phone went off alerting me of another message.

_**Hey, go to your window.**_

I sat up in my bed, confused, but hesitated before moving towards the window.

_Why?_

I stayed in place, not willing to move until he messaged me back.

_**Just do it, Ogawa.**_

Reluctantly, I stood and stalked over to the window. I curiously looked around trying to find a clue. Because of the hour, it was nearly impossible to see anything. It was pitch black outside and there didn't seem to be anything out there of any significance. Even the moon was hiding behind the clouds, not casting much light. I was about to reply to his text and ask him what it was all about but something caught my eye. There was a small light shining near the large tree sitting outside my window. At first I wasn't sure what it was but with another glance I realized that it looked like the screen to a cell phone. I pulled my own phone back into focus and hit reply.

_Would you happen to know who's outside my house?_

I glanced back to see the light for the briefest second before it went out. The phone had been turned away, still glowing slightly. It revealed the outline of the person holding it but gave away no physical details of their appearance. Not that I needed any to know who it was. My phone vibrated in my hand and the light outside turned back towards the house.

_**One guess.**_

Without another thought, I pushed my window open and climbed onto the tiled siding protruding off the house. The light seemed brighter as I attempted to focus my eyes on Hisagi's shadowed figure. Though my room was on the first floor, the distance between me and the ground seemed huge. I pushed aside my fear of heights and took a step closer to the edge.

"Hisagi?" My words were whispered. While stepping even closer to the edge, my foot slipped and I slid down on my butt. Luckily I fell back and not forward off of the siding.

"Michiru? Are you okay?" Hisagi. His voice was also hushed but closer than I expected.

"I'm fine. Where are you? I can't see a thing." The light from before appeared again. I glanced over the siding and saw the glowing screen of his cell phone.

"Is there anything I can climb up on?" _Climb?_ My mind went to the decorative ivy growing on the side of the house.

"There's some ivy but thats not very safe." Before I could finish, the light disappeared and I heard him grip what I presumed was a fistful of ivy. Within two minutes, he made it to the siding. He climbed over the edge and towered over me. I felt his hand grip my arm before he pulled me to my feet.

"Hey there." He smiled down at me happily. His hand nudged me towards the window. "Can we go inside for a few minutes?"

"Uh, yeah." I turned and crawled back into my room, still confused why he was here. After both of us were standing in the room, he glanced around. "Hisagi, why are you here? Shouldn't you be home getting ready for your classes tomorrow?" His gaze met mine as he focused on me. Instead of directly answering my question, he shook his head.

"Do you wanna come with me? I sorta have something planned." He seemed nervous about something as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Although I was still extremely puzzled by his sudden appearance, I trusted him.

"Sure." He smiled down at me again. I returned the gesture but when I opened my mouth to ask him more about our plans, he knelt down on one knee and started digging in his pocket. My eyes widened, shocked and flabbergasted.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

_Hisagi's POV_

I had never been more nervous in my whole life. While I pulled the ring, the one that I had spent the whole day picking out, out of my pocket I noticed my hands shaking uncontrolably. I honestly had no idea what she would say to the idea of marrying me but I had to try before she was forced down the aisle with _Tadashi_. Without making eye contact, I reached over and grabbed her left hand. In my other hand I held the open ring box. The hand containing hers moved to pull off her current engagement ring but it wasn't there.

"Where's your ring? Did Tadashi end your engagement?" I felt hope build in the center of my chest. I looked up at her, finally meeting her gaze. She shook her head and that hope was slowly replaced with confusion.

"I took it off this morning after talking with my mother. Tadashi still wants to get married." This time, I shook my head. _That doesn't matter._ She realized my dismisal and glanced down at the ring I had picked out.

"Michiru Ogawa, will you marry me, tonight?" If possible, her eyes increased in size.

"Tonight?" I nodded.

"I figure, if you're already married, you won't be able to marry Tadashi in two or three months."

"But...I'm not eighteen, Hisagi. I have to have a parents permission to marry." Her voice was slightly shaking.

"I realize that, that's why I brought this." I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the folded paper. "Here's the document she has to sign. I figured if we could get Mei-Mei to have her sign it without looking it over, we'd be able to do it. I know it's a long shot but..." I trailed off, shrugging. A thoughtful expression clouded over her features.

"That's really not a bad idea. My mom signs things all the time without reading them, that's Mei-Mei's job." She stepped away and mumbled something about getting Mei-Mei but before she could get to the door, I grabbed her by the wrist.

"Wait, is that a yes?" She turned back to me, a small smile graced her lips.

"Of course it is." I grinned back at her before wrapping my arms around her waist and picking her up off the ground. She hugged onto my neck tightly before I slid her back to the floor. With my arms still around her, I pressed my mouth against hers. She pressed herself closer to me, kissing me back momentarily before pulling away. "I'll go talk to Mei-Mei." She took the paper from my hand and shoved it in her jeans pocket. As she turned to leave, I stopped her again briefly to slip the ring on her finger. Her smile widened and she quickly made her way out of the room.

I let out a relieved sigh and felt my shoulders slump, my body relaxed. I fell back on her bed and closed my eyes. _I just hope she can get that paper signed._ After laying there for nearly ten minutes, I heard the door open. When I glanced over I saw Michiru, she was still smiling, which I took as a good sign.

"Mei-Mei's taking the paper to her now." She walked over to the bed and stood near the edge. I reached over and grabbed her hand, my thumb ran over her new engagement ring. I gave her hand a tug and wrapped an arm around her waist before pulling her onto the bed next to me. She hugged onto me and rested her head on my chest. I hadn't felt this relaxed in years. We stayed there in silence until Mei-Mei entered, looking ecstatic.

"I got it." Michiru sat up excitedly and I followed.

"She signed it?" Mei-Mei nodded before smileing at me.

"Hello, Hisagi. It's been a while," she said as she handed the paper over to Michiru.

"Hey." I returned the gesture, feeling happier than ever. "Thank you for your help."

"Of course, Dear. I'm glad to help." I stood and carefully pulled Michiru off the bed with me. I turned to her, my attention back on the plan.

"We should get going." She nodded in agreement.

"Wait, you have to change. Come on, I'll help you find something." Mei-Mei dragged Michiru off towards her huge walk-in closet to change clothes. After five minutes of waiting on the built in bench next to the window, they entered the room again. This time Michiru was wearing a cream colored sundress with matching flats. Her hair was styled the same with her bangs pinned back but a make-shift veil was placed on her head, pinned in place. I felt a grin spread over my face as she stepped closer to me.

"You look beautiful."

"Thanks." She smiled back, looking as elated as I felt. After saying goodbye to Mei-Mei and thanking her for her help, we made our way back to the siding outside her window. I grabbed a handful of ivy and planted my feet on the side of the house. Reaching over, I wrapped my free arm around her waist and picked her up off the siding.

"Hold on tight, okay?" Michiru nodded and wrapped both arms around my neck tightly, the signed document gripped in her hand and her purse slung on her shoulder. I slowly and carefully made my way down the side of the house and onto the ground. We quickly made our way to Mrs. Aburamai's parked car outside the Ogaway gate and headed towards the tiny church. Once we reached our destination, I killed the engine and reached into the back seat to pull out my suit. I hastily pulled myself out of the car and made my way to Michiru's door. We entered the church and met with the preacher who agreed to do the ceremony. I left Michiru to change into my suit as she handed over the legal document Sayuri had signed.

By the time I entered the sanctuary, everything was ready. The pastor stood at the front of the church and Michiru was at the other end of the aisle. I strided to the front and the wedding began. It went by quickly and for the most part it was the preacher speaking. When cued, I pulled out the wedding bands I had purchased with the engagement ring and slid one on her finger. I handed the other one over and she did the same.

"You may kiss the bride." As the pastor spoke, I leaned closer to Michiru and gently kissed her. I felt her hand grip the front of my shirt as I straightened. She hugged onto me happily and the pastor congratulated us eagerly.

We thanked the preacher, finished with the official wedding certificate and piled into the car. The car ride home was filled with conversation as Michiru chatted away.

"I can't believe were married, Hisagi. Just this morning I felt doomed." She gripped my hand tightly while my other hand rested on the steering wheel. "I can't believe I never thought of this before." I smiled and glanced at her quickly.

"I love you, Michiru." She squeezed my hand tighter.

"I love you, too."

We pulled into the Aburamai's driveway and quickly made our way inside. The first thing I did was glance at the clock in the entry way. It was roughly ten-thirty but the lights in the house were still on. We quietly made our way towards the stairs but ran into Hiromi.

"What have you been up to?" She smiled as she greeted us. "You two are awfully dressed up." Her eyes flickered towards Michiru's head before she realized what we did. "Did you two...get married?" We both smiled at her, I still couldn't get over how much she resembled her daughter as she gazed at us in utter shock. I nodded in response to her question. "Well, congratulations." She quickly hugged us both before excusing herself. "I don't want to keep you." She grinned and headed towards her room, shutting lights off as she went.

I turned to Michiru, who was smiling up at me. Her free hand reached for mine and she leaned closer to me, resting her head on my chest. I slightly pulled back and freed one of my hands from hers. After leaning over, I kissed her forehead. My hand rested on the side of her face as I pressed a kiss to her mouth. She pulled closer to me, standing on her toes to decrease the distance between us. Without warning, I scooped her up bridal style and headed towards the guestroom, where we'd spend our first night as husband and wife.

_Michiru's POV_

The next morning I woke snuggled up to Hisagi with my arms around him. I had one of his t-shirts on while he layed next to me in his boxers. I'd never woken up that happy in my entire life. The anger and bitterness from the day before was long forgotten. Though the major decision to get married was haste, it was the right choice. Hisagi's eyes slid open slowly and he turned his head to look at me. A smile immediately found it's way to his face as he kissed my forehead.

We spent the morning slowly getting up and getting dressed. After picking up the room and making the bed, we went down stairs where Hisagi made our breakfast. Sitting at the kitchen table, we chatted comfortably. We decided that we were going to tell my mother about our marriage right away, so we gathered all the documents from the night before and headed towards my home. I think we were both extremely nervous about my mom's reaction because the entire ride was silent. Once we reached the house, we quickly made our way to the door hand in hand and confidently strode inside. In the foyer, Tadashi stood looking tired and scared. At first glance his face brightened but as soon as he saw Hisagi, it fell with anger.

"Michiru, where have you been? Where do you think you're going?" I ignored his questions and walked past him towards my mothers office. I heard his footsteps behind us but when I reached the door to my mom's works space, I didn't stop to knock. I barged in tightly gripping Hisagi's hand. My mother turned to us, a glare on her face.

"Where the hell have you been and what is _he_ doing here?" I took a deep breath before speaking.

"Mother, last night Hisagi and I got married."

**Okay, chapter fifteen! Another lame ending, I'm sorry but I've been writing for hours and I had to stop somewhere. Anywho, read and review! Hope you enjoyed! :3**


	16. Chapter 16

Hey, I'm back with chapter 16! I'm so excited about chapter 15, I got a lot of great feedback! I especially liked that one myself. I hope this one's just as great! :) Anywho, here it is!

_Hisagi's POV_

As soon as Michiru pulled me through the double doors that led to Sayuri's office, I smelled a slight aroma of alcohol and a million memories from junior year came back to me. It seemed that Mrs. Ogawa hadn't changed much over the years. Her face gave away her fatigue and anger. She glared daggers at us and turned in her chair facing us with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Where the hell have you been and what is _he_doing here?" Her words were the slightest bit slurred. I felt Michiru's hand tighten around mine and glanced over at Tadashi who was also glaring at us.

"Mother, last night Hisagi and I got married." Sayuri's eyes widened in surprise. Michiru's fingers trembles slightly as they brushed against my hand. She pulled away from me before stepping closer to her mother's desk.

"You _what_?" Sayuri's voice raised in volume and she stood from her chair. "You lying little bitch! That's not possible, you need parental permission to marry under eighteen." Her eyes narrowed. Michiru pulled the legal document Sayuri had signed the night before out of her pocket and held it up for her to see. "How the hell did you get that? Did you forge my signature?"

"No, of course not. Mei-Mei took it to you last night and had you sign it." Her voice was shaking slightly, she was really scared of what her mother might say or do. I took a step closer to her, standing behind her protectively.

Sayuri looked like she was ready to kill someone but she merely held out her hand waiting for Michiru to hand over the paper. Once she had it in her own hands, her eyes started scanning the document vigorously. Her finger lightly rubbed over the signiture at the bottom. She glanced up at Michiru momentarily before glaring back at the sheet of paper. Her hands starting shredding it into five or six pieces but Michiru didn't flinch. We had made a copy of it the night before for the pastors records.

"Go upstairs to your room, Michiru." Sayuri threw the scraps to the ground and turned her gaze to me. "_You_, get the fuck out of my house!" I made no move towards the door and neither did Michiru.

"Don't talk to him like that!" I glanced down at my wife, surprised by her angry outburst. "Tearing up that paper didn't change anything. We're married which means I can't and won't be marrying Tadashi." She had taken a step closer to Mrs. Ogawa, her hands glued to her hips. I'd never seen her stand up to her mother like this.

Without warning, Sayuri reached out and grabbed the collar of Michiru's shirt and swung her fist. Her knuckles slammed against her daughters face, knocking her to the ground. I rushed towards Michiru but before I reached her, Mrs. Ogawa pulled back her leg and with a swift movement, kicked Michiru in the ribs. She continued to quickly kick and punch at her daughter repetitively. She grabbed something off her desk and thrusted it. The object pierced Michiru, sticking out of her shoulder just below her collar bone. She let out a pained cry as I tightly wrapped my arms around Sayuri's waist and pulled her off.

"What the hell did you do?" I stepped back and Tadashi ran over to Michiru's side. Blood started pouring out of her wound and she refused to be touched. "Tadashi, call an ambulance or something," I demanded gripping tighter onto Mrs. Ogawa. He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed 911 as he continued to try to soothe some of Michiru's pain.

"What in God's name is going on?" When I turned towards the voice, I saw Fujita Ogawa standing in the doorway, a confused and angry expression on his face. "What are you doing to my wife?"

"She went crazy and stabbed Michiru!" I glared back at him but as I spoke, the anger drained out of his gaze. He took a few strides towards us and looked down at his child laying on the ground, crying out in distress. Panic crossed his features and he knelt down next to Tadashi after glancing at his struggling wife.

"Let me go!" Sayuri kicked and yelled but I didn't even loosen my hold. "Put me down, you bastard!" Fujita turned his gaze to us, glaring furiously.

"What the hell did you do to her, Sayuri? Are you out of your mind?" He looked so mad but his concern over his daughter's health was shining in his eyes, surprising me. I figured he wasn't implicated with Michiru, like his wife, but he seemed like a normal parent for once worrying about her.

"You don't understand, Fujita! That lying whore, she went behind my back! She-" Her husband cut her off.

"You've been drinking." He sighed, frustrated. "You said you stopped, you were doing really well." Mrs. Ogawa stopped struggling and inhaled, preparing to speak again but was interrupted by Tadashi.

"I think the paramedics are here." His words were directed to me. I nodded and shoved Sayuri towards Fujita.

"Keep her away from Michiru," I said as I headed toward the door. Quickly making my way to the front entrance, I found the paramedics approaching with a gurney. I led them to the office and they immediately started taking action. Without the responsibility of watching over Mrs. Ogawa, I was able to go to my wife's side. After a closer look, I learned that the object impaled in her shoulder was a letter opener. I winced when I saw all the blood covering her torso and the surrounding floor. Tadashi sat at her opposite side, tightly gripping her hand.

The ambulance attendants quickly got Michiru on the stretcher and into the emergency vehicle. They allowed both Tadashi and myself to ride with them to the hospital and Fujita told me he'd take his own car there. I was seated next to Michiru's stretcher while Tadashi sat on a build in seat on the other side of the ambulance. One of the paramedics continued to work with her but they didn't remove the letter opener. They said that a doctor or surgeon would have to do it.

"Michiru?" I glanced down at her, pushing some hair out of her face. Her eyes drifted open and her gaze met mine. She was still losing blood and was close to passing out. There was a large bruise on her face from where Sayuri had punched and another on her arm. I grabbed her hand carefully but she didn't seem to notice. "You're going to be fine, you hear me? We're almost at the hospital, you're going to be okay." My voice sounded thin and I knew I was really trying to convince myself. Though the actually stabbing wasn't fatal, the paramedic said that there was a possibility that the letter opener had reached her heart or an artery.

She nodded slightly and rested her head back, closing her eyes. I tightened my grip on her hand and glanced out the window. We were finally pulling into the hopsitals ER. Nurses from the inside came rushing to help wheel in the gurney and both Tadashi and I followed them through the doors. We weren't allowed past the waiting area and ended up sitting on a crowded bench. A doctor had helped drag Michiru's stretcher through a set of double doors, telling a nurse to prepare for surgery.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, I decided to turn to Tadashi and ask how he was doing. He looked extremely pale. When I turned towards him, I was instantly distracted as Fujita walked through the doors searching for us. I waved him over and watched as he stalked towards us, towing Sayuri with him.

"Is she okay, where'd they take her?"

"They took her into surgery but they said she should be fine as long as the letter opener didn't reach her heart or arteries." I glanced up at Mrs. Ogawa, trying to keep a glare off my face.

"Oh, God." Fujita's free hand went to his forehead, the other tightly clutched his wife's arm. I stood, stretching my legs, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She's going to be fine, don't worry." He looked up at me and reluctantly nodded.

"I'm sorry to ask but...who are you?" His brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm Hisagi Shuuhei, I'm Michiru's husband." A small smile spread over my face as Sayuri glared at me and Tadashi glanced up at me curiously angry. Mr. Ogawa's eyes widened before he spoke again.

"Excuse me? My daughter is engaged and I know it wasn't with you." His words weren't rude but uncertain.

"We got married last night, sorry I wasn't able to ask your permission first." Realization spread over his face as I spoke.

"Is that what this is all about?" He turned to Sayuri. "This is why you stabbed our daughter?" The volume of his voice rose dramatically.

"I tried to tell you in the car! She went behind my back, she disobeyed me and broke-" Fujita held up his hand, silencing her.

"I don't want to hear it." He sat next to Tadashi, pulling Mrs. Ogawa with him and rested his head in his hand. A silence fell over us, and I felt my earlier anxiety over Michiru's condition pulse through me. I pulled out my phone and started typing out a message that I sent to Rukia, filling her in on the situation.

We sat there in the waiting area for another hour before Rukia and Ichigo go there. Once they arrived, I told them the current status of the surgery. They settled onto the bench next to me when I noticed their daughter resting in Ichigo's arms. I was surprised they had brought her along but they were probably in a rush. As the time passed, we made simple conversation. I asked about Saki and their jobs. We talked about school and other unimportant things until the doctor stepped out of the double doors and approached us. He spoke directly to me, recognizing me from before.

"Hello, you must be Hisagi. I'm doctor Tanaka." He smiled, a gesture that comforted me more than I thought it could. "You're her...husband?" I nodded before he continued. "Well, Michiru's doing really well. I'm sorry it took so long to update you but in the middle of the surgery, her heart rate dropped dangerously low. She's stable now and the wound has been properly closed up."

"Did it reach her heart?" I frowned, worry etching my face.

"Unfortunately, yes. That's why her heart rate dropped. There was the slightest laceration on the outer layer of her heart. When the letter opener was first pulled out, her heart rate dropped and she had a little internal bleeding but she's doing better now." His hand rested on my shoulder. "She's out of surgery and if you like, you can see her now. All of you can, just keep the large group visit short."

"Thank you," I said as I shook his hand. Ichigo and Rukia stood, followed by Tadashi. I glanced down at Fujita, noticing that he didn't get up. "Aren't you coming?"

"No, I'll wait. Sayuri has no right to see her and I'm not leaving her alone. Mei-Mei just sent me a text message saying that she called the police to report Sayuri."

"Oh, do you want me to wait with you and tell the police what happened?" He shook his head.

"No, go ahead, I'll come get you when they show up. But thank you for your offer."

"No problem, if you need anything let me know." I turned and followed the doctor to Michiru's room, eager to see her. We walked down the hall clustered together traipsing behind the man in the white coat. Once we reached the room, Doctor Tanaka stopped and ushered me in. My gaze immediately went to the bed where Michiru rested, her eyes closed and her breathing was short and hollow. IV's were everywhere and she looked tiny in the hospital's gown. The sheets that were placed over her legs had been kicked off in bundles at the end of the bed and multiple large bruises could be seen on her slender legs and arms.

I approached the bed and quickly reached her side. My hand instinctively pushed the hair out of her eyes as the others filed in behind me. Michiru didn't stir under my touch, she was unnaturally still.

"She's been heavily sedated, it may take another hour before she stirs or wakes. Don't be alarmed." I turned to him and nodded before thanking him again for all his help. He brushed it off and excused himself. My eyes went back to Michiru and everyone else approached the bed in silence.

_Michiru's POV_

My eyes slowly slid open and I felt a wave of pain crash through me. Before I could take in my surroundings, my eye tightly shut as I held my hand against my chest. The pressure brought on more pain and I let out a wince. A warm hand wrapped around mine and carefully pulled it away from the aching wound. A memory of my mother attacking me in her office flashed through my mind as I opened my eyes again and glanced up at a concerned Hisagi. His grip slightly tightened and he scooted his chair closer.

"Michiru? Hey, are you feeling okay?" His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked worried. _Was I badly injured by my mother?_I couldn't remember many of the details. I glanced out the window and say the sun shining brightly. Again Hisagi's grip tightened over my hand and I turned my attention back to him. "Are you?"

"Yeah, it just hurts a little." Another hand reached out and pushed my hair out of my face. I glanced over to my right and saw Tadashi, looking anxious. "What are you doing here?" He looked surprised and slightly angered by my statement.

"What do you mean? I'm not leaving until you're better, Michiru." His hand rested on the top of my head, his features hardened. "I still love you, even after what you did." I turned my head away from him, not in the mood for that conversation. My attention went back to Hisagi.

"So, what happened? I mean, when can we leave?"

"Don't you remember?" I nodded before explaining.

"Yeah, I remember what happened but I can't remember getting here. The ambulance is the last thing I can recall." He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when the door came swinging open. We all turned our attention to the door, seeing a familiar women standing in the doorway. Her dark hair brushed her shoulders as shorter layers curled out freely. The shade of her eyes matched my husband's perfectly and their other shared features came into view as she stalked over to the side of my bed.

"Oh, my God! Michiru, what happened?" Kana's voice was drenched in worry. Her arms wrapped around me and I had to fight to mask the pain she was causing.

"Kana! Its' been so long, how are you?" Disregarding the aching pain in my chest, I hugged her back and smiled warmly. It was so great to see her again.

"Sweety, I'm fine. How are you? What in the world happened?" She pulled back and pushed some stray hairs out of my face. I refused to meet her gaze but she tipped my chin with her index finger, forcing me to lock gazes with her. I sighed before speaking.

"It was my mother," I stated simply before slightly pulling myself up in a sitting position. Hisagi's hand cupped my elbow as he helped. When I glanced up at Kana, I saw a glare cross her features. Her mouth opened to speak but a confused expression clouded over her face.

"Wait, before we get into that," she said as she turned to Hisagi. "Why is she under our name? I didn't even know you two had been in touch." He smiled before considering how to explain when she continued speaking. "You had me worried sick, Hisagi! I thought you were seriously injured! You could have been more specific than, 'Hey Mom, I'm at the hospital in _Osaka_. You need to come here right away.' What the hell?" Hisagi's grin widened and he finally got a word in.

"I'm sorry, chill. I was-" Kana raised her hands, interupting him.

"So tell me, why is she under our name?"

"I'm _trying_." His hand found mine and I felt his thumb gently run over my wedding band. "Well, a few nights ago we sorta got married." Kana's eyes widened and a smile spread over her face. She lunged towards him and hugged onto him tightly.

"Oh, my God! Congratulations!" When she pulled away from her son, her eyes were glazed over and she turned towards me excitedly. Her arms were open and I instinctively cringed back, pain pulsing through me again. Kana stopped and stood up straight.

"Sweety, I'm so sorry. You must be in a lot of pain." Her lips twitched downward in a frown. "So what happened?" Hisagi started filling her in, her anger and concern written all over her face as she took in the information. Her hands balled up into tight fists.

"What ever happened to your mother?"

"Fujita came in this morning and told us that the police arrested her but she got out on bail. She's been home since she got out, locked up in her office. I think she's mad at him for visiting." Hisagi answered, I wasn't quite sure before he informed the two of us. Kana shook her head and glanced over towards the window. Her gaze landed on Tadashi and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me, uh, who are you?" Tadashi's gaze met hers, his face blank.

"I'm Tadashi Watanabe, Michiru's fiancé."

"Uh...wha-" She was interrupted by another person entering the room. This time I wasn't very happy to see the person smiling back at me. In the doorway stood my mother, papers clutched in her hands and a knowing smile placed on her lips.

"Hello," she said as she crossed the room. Though she looked polished and professional, she had the slightest scent of alcohol wafting off of her. She must have had a drink or two before coming.

"Hello, Mother," I replied quietly, breaking the silence.

"I have some news for you, Michiru." She walked around to the side of the hospital bed, standing at Tadashi's side. "But first, I wanted to ask how you were feeling?" There was the slightest hint of sincere worry in her face but it was masked with a victorious confidence.

"I'm in a lot of pain, thanks for asking." My sarcasm didn't get past her, even though I tried hard to cover it.

"I'm sorry to hear that." A glare crossed my face as anger built in my chest, momentarily distracting me from the pain that hovered there. "Well, down to business." She carelessly tossed the stack of papers on the bed next to my legs. "Here are the forms for your divorce. If you refuse to sign them, I'll take you both to court, where you'll be forced to sign them. Make your choice but either way, you'll be divorced in time for your scheduled wedding."

**Okay, here's chapter 16! I know, it ended weird...again. Lol. I've been working really hard on this chapter and I sorta like it, even the strange ending. I hope it comes across as suspenseful and not lame! Haha! Anywho, please review, your opinions are welcome! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm finally back, spring break is the only reason I have time to write but I'm excited for this story to be completed! :) I want to apologize if anyone was really looking forward to finishing it eight months ago but with school and work, there was no way for me to even dream of writing. Anyhow, I'm back and ready to pump out this chapter! :P**

_Michiru's POV_

My mother folded her arms over her chest and roguishly smiled down at me. I could see the effects of her hangover when I glanced at her face. There were dark circles under her eyes and her stance was less confident than usual. I grabbed the papers from the bed and looked over them, a concentrated glare donning my face. Hisagi leaned over and glanced at the papers in my hand as Kana turned to my mother.

"What is going on? Why are you trying to force a divorce on them?" A look of confusion crossed her features as she stood between my mom and me. "You're still doing this sort of controlling shit?" Mother glanced at her, giving her a superior sneer and ignored her comment.

"So are you going to sign the papers or do I have to make a big deal out of this 'marriage'?" Without thought I threw the papers her direction.

"I'm not signing anything." I folded my arms stubbornly and received a bitter glare from my mother before she composed herself and nodded.

"I see, then I guess we'll be doing this the hard way." Her small hands curled around the frame of the hospital bed as she leaned closer to me. "I swear to God, I will make your life a living hell Michiru. You should get it through your thick head that you **will** be getting married to Tadashi and this piece of trash you call a husband will be history." Her words were venomous and I had the feeling that this was the first time Tadashi had seen her true colors. He stared in shock at my mother's little speech. I narrowed my eyes, feelings of hate boiled up in my chest.

"Get out," I spoke through my teeth and my tone mimicked hers. She straightened up and smiled at me before taking a step back, inching her way to the door.

"Of course, I'll see you in court." She turned her gaze to Tadashi. "It would be of great interest for you to stop by the house in the next couple of days, I'll keep you informed." He hesitantly nodded his expression blank. Without another word, she turned and left.

I felt Hisagi's hand rest on my back comfortingly, trying to appease my anxieties. It didn't help much; I felt my anger rise up in my chest, mixing with the physical pain residing there. My fists clenched into tight balls and I felt like sucker punching the wall. I turned to the bedside table and on impulse grabbed the glass vase full of flowers that Tadashi had brought me. The next thing I knew, I was lobbing it at the opposite wall. Hisagi's hand stiffened on my back as the vase shattered on the floor. A nurse came rushing in within 30 seconds.

"What happened? What's going on?" Her eyes were wide and anxious. Kana walked passed her and kneeled. She began picking up shards of the glass without a word.

"Everyone's fine, I'm sorry about the mess." Hisagi answered the nurse and lightly grabbed my hand. Tadashi got up and started helping Kana pick up the remains of the vase.

"Are you sure?" Hisagi nodded his head and gave her a weak smile.

"Yes we're fine, thank you."

"Alright, I'll bring you a couple towels." With that she left. I slumped back in the hospital bed and sighed. My grip on my husband's hand tightened slightly.

"I'm sorry…"

Kana stayed to visit for another hour or two before she dismissed herself. She told us that we were welcome to drive to her place as soon as I was let out of the hospital but she didn't have enough gas to come visit me again. Hisagi made plans with her before we said our goodbyes. She hugged me tightly and gave Hisagi a kiss on the cheek and headed out the door. It was so quiet once she left. I think Hisagi felt too uncomfortable talking about my mother with Tadashi there but he was persistent and promised he'd stay until I was out of the hospital. After a couple hours of awkward silence, my dad showed up, something that honestly surprised me. He knocked on the door lightly before entering. Hisagi and Tadashi both smiled up at him and greeted him politely.

"Hey Fujita," Hisagi talked to him as if they were old buddies. A confused expression glazed over my face as I watched all three men interact.

"Hello Hisagi, Tadashi, how are you two?" They responded appropriately before my dad turned to me asked me how I was feeling.

"…Okay, I guess. Thanks for asking…" I wasn't sure how to talk to him, I can't remember the last time I had a pleasant conversation with my father.

"That's good," he stated, smiling at me. "Do you know when you'll be able to leave?" I shook my head and opened my mouth to answer when I noticed someone else slip through the door. Mei-Mei walked in quietly behind my dad and I grinned up at her, happy to have a visitor to actually talk to. My father turned to glance at Mei-Mei and nodded towards her, a smile still on his face.

"Hi sweety!" She walked around my dad and approached the side of my bed. Her hand pushed some hair out of my face and I noticed her face turning red. Her eyes filled with tears and she buried her face in her hands before she began crying. Everyone glanced up at her, concerned and my father comfortingly laid a hand on her back. Mei-Mei's arms wrapped around me protectively and she continued to cry on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from her." After a few minutes she calmed down a little and was ready to talk but a nurse came in and said that my visitors needed to leave so I could rest. Both my dad and Mei-Mei promised to visit again but left after only staying for ten minutes. No one else visited so the rest of the day was filled with crappy television playing in the background and light conversation between the three of us. Around five, Hisagi got up and started talking about dinner. He asked if we wanted him to bring back some hospital food for us. I was pretty hungry and both Tadashi and I accepted his offer. Once Hisagi was gone I laid back in the hospital bed and felt the day's events take a toll on me. Tadashi took Hisagi's seat next to my bed and placed his hand on my arm comfortingly.

"Are you okay?" His voice was quiet and concerned. My mouth opened to respond but I felt my chest tighten and tears pricked at my eyes. I covered my face with my hands and started crying, trying to hold back the sobs. Tadashi gently wrapped his arms around me and rested his head against mine. I hugged onto his waist and continued to cry for a good 5 minutes. "I'm sorry, Michiru…I just don't know-" He cut himself off, not sure how to finish his sentence. I pulled back and wiped my eyes before shaking my head.

"Don't apologize, Tadashi. The only thing you ever did was care about me; none of this is your fault." I glanced up at him and felt guilt pulse through me. "_I_'_m_ sorry. I'm the one who went behind your back and married someone else. I'm sorry for hurting you, I'm sorry I couldn't love you back." Tadashi shook his head and hugged me quickly. He kissed my forehead and then my cheek and then my mouth. I pulled away, refusing to make eye contact.

Before Tadashi could say or do anything else, Hisagi walked in with food. The rest of the night crawled by, time moved so slowly while I was stuck in that hospital room. While eating Hisagi tried to make some friendly conversation that would involve all three of us. It was nice and comfortable, we talked about easy stuff, things that had nothing to do with our current situation. At around nine, Tadashi got up and claimed that he was going to leave us alone for the night. He simply stated that he hoped I would get better, gave me a hug and said goodbye before heading out the door. Hisagi and I just looked at each other confused but not entirely bothered. We were able to talk once he was gone but it didn't last long. My medicine started kicking in at about 9:45 and by 10 I was out.

_Hisagi's POV_

Michiru was released two days after her surgery so we checked out of the hospital after making an appointment with her doctor and climbed in Mrs. Aburamai's car. I had called her the first day in the hospital and asked if she wanted me to bring the car back to her place. She politely declined and told me to keep it as long as I needed it. So we piled into the car and headed to my mom's house.

The next few days passed without much activity, we didn't hear from Sayuri or Tadashi but I made sure to call Fujita and let him know about Michiru's improvements. I also sent a text to Tadashi at least once a day to keep him updated.

Four days after Michiru had gotten out of the hospital, we received a phone call from Tadashi. We sat at the table with Michiru's cell phone on speaker listening to Tadashi.

"I'm not sure if Fujita told you already but yesterday Sayuri sort of had a…breakdown. She just started screaming and acting out in violence. Fujita and Mei-Mei had her taken to the hospital" His voice was hollow; he seemed to be pretty affected by this.

"…Is she doing better?" Michiru's concern for her mother was apparent in her tone.

"I suppose. She's going to be put into a rehab facility in the next couple of days and if they find that detoxing doesn't help they're going to institutionalize her."

We sat silent for a moment before Michiru spoke again. "Well, thank you for letting us know. I'll contact my father and find out when we can go see her."

"Ok…" When Tadashi didn't say anything else, I looked up at Michiru before speaking.

"Is there…something else you wanted to tell us?"

"…I've spoken with my parents and I've decided to break the original engagement…" Michiru's eyes widened and she glanced up at me excitedly. "Things have gotten extremely complicated and Michiru was hurt so badly…I just want you to be happy." I felt Michiru grab my arm.

"Thank you Tadashi, so much. I hope…we can still be friends." He laughed quietly before answering.

"Of course, I've already talked to Fujita about it and he had his lawyers stop working on whatever case your mother was filing." He was silent for a few moments. "I hope you two have a happy marriage…"

"Thank you. I'll call you as soon as I find anything out about visiting my mother."

"Alright, goodbye."

"Bye." Michiru hung up the phone and smiled up at me contently. I returned the gesture and kissed the top of her head. She began dialing her father's number, a gratified grin in place on her face.

My mother had spoken to me the night we arrived at her home about how difficult it could be to be married and that a rushed marriage could lead to some issues. It wasn't something I expected to hear from her but I knew she supported my decision to spend my life with Michiru. That conversation came to my mind as we sat at the table talking to Fujita. It was true, I knew that we rushed into marriage and there would be some consequences to that but I figured if we could make it through Sayuri, we could handle just about anything.

**Four Years Later**

_Michiru's POV_

The sound of someone pounding at the door woke me from my deep sleep. I really didn't want to get up but I willed myself to sit up in my bed long enough to see who was at the door. "Come in," I called out tiredly. The door knob turned and my mother walked in smiling with her grandson on her hip. His hair was disheveled and he looked exactly like his father. We were staying at my parent's house for the night.

"Morning, sorry to wake you but breakfast is ready and your friends are here." Hisagi sat up next to me and stretched obnoxiously, almost pushing me off the bed. My mom laughed and shook her head. Fagan, who was already three, reached his arms out to Hisagi and told him to get up. We both stood and Hisagi took Fagan from my mother before patting her on the head.

"G'morning." She smiled up at him and nodded in response.

I still couldn't believe how much my mom had changed since she banned alcohol from her diet. I reflected on our relationship as we walked down the stairs. We definitely became closer and she grew to like Hisagi's simple demeanor. When she found out I was pregnant she was involved and gave me advice when I needed it. She says that she changed but I think her good characteristics were just masked with the effects of the alcohol.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs we found Ichigo and Rukia waiting for us. Their daughter, Saki, who was four, saw Fagan and hid behind her dad's leg. I smiled and my mother led everyone to the kitchen.

After breakfast we all sat in the living room and caught up. My father joined us for a few minutes before leaving for work. After showering and getting dressed I grabbed my bag and headed down the stairs. Hisagi, Rukia, Ichigo, and I were going to meet Renji and Mina at the coffee shop. We left the kids with Mei-Mei and my mom and headed out to the coffee shop.

Once we arrived, we ordered and found a big enough booth. Sitting around the familiar table made me think of the first time we all had coffee together. It was the first time I had seen Hisagi since high school. That was the day I got his number, I couldn't believe how unhappy I was.

"So you're finishing up your last college course next week?" Renji's question was directed at me. I smiled up at him and nodded.

"Yup, and I already have an interview at a school next week." I ended up majoring in sociology and wanted to become a school counselor.

"That's great, good luck." Mina smiled happily. I noted how big she had gotten; her pregnant stomach practically brushed the table.

"Thank you, I'm really excited-" I was cut off when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I blinked and turned around only to find Tadashi standing there. I smiled and jumped up. "Tadashi, it's been so long!" I hugged him eagerly and greeted the woman at his side. "Hello, you must be Nanami. It's nice to finally meet you." The woman smiled and nodded.

"Yup," I smiled and looked over at Tadashi. "Why don't you two join us? We can make room."

"Thanks but we have an appointment in twenty minutes," Tadashi replied. "I just wanted to pop in and say hi."

"Alright, I hope your appointment goes well. I'll text you sometime next week and I'll figure out when we can all have dinner or something." He nodded and gave me a departing hug.

"Okay, it was nice to see you all again." He shook hands with Hisagi and smiled at me before grabbing his order and leading Nanami out the door. I took my seat and smiled at Hisagi before the small talk continued. He slipped his arm around me and took a sip of his coffee. I said a silent prayer, thanking God for my friends and family, knowing that I'd never take them for granted, ever.

**Okay, finally OVER! I'm excited. I can't believe I just finished. I hope you all enjoyed even though the end was a little rushed. Well, read and review. Thanks to everyone for your comments and encouragement. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you and I hope that I've converted some of you into HisaMichi fans! :)**


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